“I feel like that’s not my purpose. I’ve seen so much pain and suffering.” A clip of Tiffany Haddish being interviewed on Vlad TV by comedian Luenell showed a teary eyed Haddish sharing why she thinks she would not be able to handle parenthood.
“As a teenager, I watched a few of my friends being killed,” she expressed. “If I had me a little black baby, how — I already worry about my brothers, like I’m always so concerned about my brothers, and I’m concerned about my sisters and my cousins, and trying to figure out how to protect them.”
The Girls Trip actress seemed to be very traumatized by her past experiences growing up in South Central Los Angeles with her mother and in the foster care system. She recalls how being taken away from her mother crushed her mother mentality, leaving her family in emotional disarray. Haddish does leave the option open of adopting a child from the foster care system.
“I don’t know if I would be emotionally strong enough to give birth to someone and then they’ve been taken away from me,” she continued. “I do know that if I was a foster parent, or if I adopted — There’s so many children out here whose parents have been put away in jail and are never coming out…I know, because I’ve done it already, that I would be an excellent parent for that person.”
Haddish is a prime example of someone who has been greatly impacted by the foster care system. Her current success in the media and entertainment industry is indicative of her strength and courage despite the startling statistics regarding foster care.
About 440,000 children are in the foster care system, according to the non-profit iFoster. Of those children, 30,000 of them stay in the system until they “age out” at 18 through 21 years of age. These are kids that have never found a home or established a family. As a result, most of them end up on government assistance as they try to navigate life by themselves.
A lot of what is unsaid is that these children have to endure unthinkable abuses within their foster care homes. Some, who end up in group homes, face child molestation, physical violence and emotional neglect.
Despite the imaginable conditions that Haddish has had to endure, she’s managed to elevate beyond her circumstances. Many may criticize her rise because of her comedic expression, but beyond her work lies a soul that can feel and that in itself is an accomplishment when she’s been continuously confronted with situations that can harden anyone’s heart.
The beaming star that loves a good laugh is currently involved in several film and TV projects. Haddish doesn’t plan to stop at just acting and doing comedy specials, however. The philanthropist plans to create her own studio and a community grocery store in Los Angeles. But, her ultimate goal is to maintain her happiness.
