Tiffany Haddish says she was raped at 17 by a police cadet
Tiffany Haddish is best known for making movie audiences laugh, but her rise to the top held its own share of struggles.
In a new interview with Glamour magazine, the actress, who stars in the upcoming comedy "Night School," said that she was raped at 17 by a police cadet.
Though she did not name the cadet, nor did she say where the incident took place, Haddish did tell the magazine that at the time, she reported the incident to authorities.
"That whole experience put me in such a messed-up place for a long time and I ended up going to counseling," she said, noting that she still struggles with the concept of justice.
"Me just yelling out people’s names with no thought behind it is pointless. I need a plan," she continued. "I could be a voice, but what’s a voice going to do—just keep talking? Or is there action behind it?"
It's just one of the many tough experiences that Haddish, 38, has had to deal with throughout her life.
In her 2017 memoir, "The Last Black Unicorn," the comedian wrote that she was raised by a mentally ill, abusive mother and was twice-married to a man who was also violent with her. He has denied the allegations.
Haddish, whose breakout role came in 2017's hit movie "Girls Trip," explained to Glamour in a wide-ranging interview that her interactions with men have caused her to adjust her attitude toward them accordingly.
"I notice that men are afraid of women that are aggressive. So to protect myself I become semi-aggressive," she said. "You hear about, 'Tiffany always hitting on somebody,' but that's to keep them from hitting on me."
"I’ve had experiences where directors or producers are like [suggestively], 'You want this job?'" she added. "I might get real bossy and say, 'First off, don’t nobody want to see your little d---!' I get loud, all that."
Haddish also told Glamour, which is available on newsstands now, that as her career ramps up -- she also stars in Tyler Perry's newest comedy, "Nobody's Fool" -- she's put dating on the back burner. Right now, she explained, she's focused on giving back to the people she loves most: her family.
"I’m just glad I got some money now, because now I can do a better job at taking care of them," she said. "I got my mom out of the mental institution, like I said I would, in December, and I got her an apartment with my sister and a nurse that comes to her."
"I ain’t never said this out loud, but I want to be able to give every one of my siblings a million dollars to create whatever they want to do," she added. "That’s four million dollars that I don’t need."
