Fresh off the success of Girls Trip and her sudden rise to fame, Tiffany Haddish made an appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour on Thursday in Beverly Hills to promote her next project, The Last O.G., a TBS comedy starring and executive produced by Tracy Morgan. “I’m so happy I’ve been accepted finally after all these years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears,†she said during the panel. “She ready! She bad!â€
Sporting “the most expensive shoes I’ve ever worn,†the Girls Trip breakout star said she feels “like a foster kid who’s been in the foster system for a long time and they turn 16 and somebody adopted them and said you can go to college, you don’t gotta pay for student loans or nothing.â€
In The Last O.G., Haddish plays the ex-wife of Morgan’s character, who gets out of prison after 15 years to find her and their kids living large with her new white husband, played by Ryan Gaul. “What excited me the most about playing Shannon is that I feel she has transition, which I feel I have done in my life, too. She went from this round-the-way girl hood chick … and she starts climbing and finds another man who changes her whole world and everything, not just because he’s light-skinned either … I feel like that’s my dream anyway and I feel like I’m living it right now.â€
The comedian encountered a hiccup on the road to stardom earlier this week, after declaring in a Los Angeles Times interview: “I still want to work with Bill Cosby, I don’t care, I’ll drink the juice. I’ll drink the juice. I’ll take a nap. I don’t give a damn. [Laughs.] But seriously, I would love for him to play my grandfather in something.â€
Asked to clarify those remarks, Haddish said she meant it as a joke that didn’t land well. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been interviewed before,†she explained. “You do all these 20-second interviews and you’re supposed to be humorous all that time. You’re gonna say some bad jokes. You’re gonna come up with a few not-good jokes. I was trying to make it seem like I’m not afraid to do anything. I’m not afraid of any kind of job, I’m not afraid to play any kind of role as long as it doesn’t compromise my morals. If you listen to the interview with Neil Brennan on that podcast The Champs, I’ve been through things. I’ve been victimized. At the end of the day, I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf. That’s what I was trying to say and I was trying to say it in a humorous way.â€
During the TCA panel, Haddish’s Last O.G. castmates added that her work ethic on set hasn’t changed since Girls Trip premiered as the biggest R-rated comedy since 2015. “She hasn’t come to set any kind of way,†Morgan said. “She comes to work.â€
“They all treat me the same. I hang out with them all the same. It’s no difference. Same old Tiff,†Haddish added. “I mean, my bank account don’t show ‘movie star’ yet. I’m waiting on that. They say nine months. I’m like, It’s like a baby. I’m waiting for the delivery.â€