‘Saturday Night Live’: Tiffany Haddish Makes History As ‘SNL’s’ First Black Comedian Host—Who Is She?
Saturday Night Live is about to take you on a girls trip. The upcoming episode of the NBC late-night sketch comedy series will feature comedian Tiffany Haddish as the host and pop superstar Taylor Swift as the musical guest. While Swift is a returnee to Studio 8-H, last appearing on SNL eight years ago shortly after the release of her Fearless album, the Girls Trip star will be the first black female comedian ever to host Saturday Night Live—more than 40 years after the show’s debut.
Haddish did not let that last part go unnoticed as she posted to social media about her historic SNL gig. In what seems like almost an impossible scenario, it is hard to believe that Saturday Night Live has never featured a black female comedian as a host in the past. Tiffany, who shot to fame earlier this year in the comedy film Girls Trip, also made history as part of the $113.3 million box office hit, which according to Forbes, was the first-ever black-led/directed/produced film to rake in such a haul. It has been a breakout year for Tiffany Haddish, and a history-making Saturday Night Live hosting gig is the icing on the cake.
This Saturday, 11/11 on #SNL!! Can you believe I will be the very #first black female comedian… https://t.co/qSVgrCpztv
— Tiffany Haddish (@TiffanyHaddish) November 7, 2017
The official Saturday Night Live Instagram page also posted a video announcement about Tiffany Haddish’s hosting gig.
Of course, if you haven’t seen Girls Trip, you may not be totally familiar with Tiffany Haddish. According to Rolling Stone, the 38-year-old comic hit the standup circuit in her mid-20s after quitting an unsatisfying customer service agent for Alaska Airlines.
“By the time I got into high school, my social worker was like, ‘Look. You got two choices. You can go to Laugh Factory Comedy Camp or you can go to psychiatric therapy, because something is wrong with you, child,'” Haddish said.
Ten years later, comedian Kevin Hart noticed gave a car-dwelling Tiffany $300 to get a hotel room, and he told her to write out her list of life goals and make them happen. Since that fateful day, the comic has manifested nearly all of her goals, including her goals to work with Hart as well as her idol, Jada Pinkett Smith, her Girls Trip co-star whom she once took on a Louisiana Swamp tour with tickets purchased on Groupon.
Haddish has logged over 40 acting credits, on everything from That’s So Raven to The Carmichael Show and has even written a biography called The Last Black Unicorn. Now, Tiffany’s next chapter will be on Saturday Night Live and it sounds like it will be a major page-turner.
Check out Tiffany Haddish’s hilarious account of her Groupon date with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith below.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
[Featured Image by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for BET]
