Tiffany Haddish said her first reaction to her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoot was to keep her composure. “The first thing I thought was, I have to make sure my cuckoo doesn’t come out,” she said of stepping in front of the camera for the brand’s famed swimsuit issue.
She also laughed about the wardrobe itself. “Those bathing suits were itty bitty and I just was thinking, My booty is going to eat this up,” Haddish said, adding that she “wanted to keep it classy.” The comedian called the moment a milestone, saying, “The little girl in me is in awe” and “This is a brand that means something, so it is a huge accomplishment to be asked to be a part of it.”
The shoot marks another turn for Haddish, whose path to mainstream fame began in stand-up comedy after a teenage social worker gave her the chance to attend comedy camp. Born in Los Angeles and raised by her mother, who dealt with severe mental health issues, Haddish and her siblings were placed in foster care before she started building a name for herself through stand-up and then small TV and film roles.
Her career changed in 2017 with Girls Trip, the all-Black female comedy that raked in more than $100 million and made Haddish the breakout star. She followed that success with a memoir, a steady run of movie roles and tours across the country, and more recently has been hard at work at the She Ready. The swimsuit appearance fits that arc: a comedian who has built a career on timing and nerve now adding a high-profile fashion and media moment to a résumé already packed with stand-up, film and books.
The contrast is part of what makes the moment land. Haddish has spent years turning difficult beginnings into public momentum, and the swimsuit shoot shows a performer who is still willing to step into unfamiliar territory without losing the voice that made her stand out in the first place. For readers wondering whether the fit was ever going to be comfortable, Haddish answered it herself: she kept it classy, and she knew exactly what she was walking into.
