Tiffany Haddish is reflecting on the time she spent in foster care. The “Girls Trip” star opened up about that time of her life when she had convinced herself she wouldn’t make it to 18 because there wasn’t much guarantee that her life was ever going to see the much-needed positive change she was hoping for. During a candid chat for the Variety Changemakers Summit, the 42-year-old explained, “When I was in foster care, I mean, I thought I was going to die there.”
“I didn’t think I would make it to 18. And when I made it to 18, I was like, ‘OK, I got to really think bigger.’ And I did think bigger, and I’m definitely where I thought I would be. Well, it’s bigger than what I thought, but I feel the way that I was hoping I would feel, and that’s secure in my ability to provide for me.”
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Through her She Ready Foundation, which helps pair children of the foster care community with internship programs, Tiffany stressed that the goal of this project was to strip away “the feeling of feeling like garbage from kids,” as she related the remark to her own upbringing, after frequently moving from one location to the next with her belongings all squashed in trash bags. “And moving like that is not good for the self-esteem because it makes you feel like garbage that can easily be transported to here or there,” she continued.
“You start thinking of yourself as such, as garbage. That was the worst feeling in the world personally, and I told myself, if I ever get any power, I’m going to try to make sure kids don’t feel like that. If I can reach out, I’m going to try to change that feeling for them. So I started my foundation, and we started with just giving out suitcases.”
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The Night School actress revealed in the summer of 2021 that she was open to the idea of adopting a child in the near future, telling Entertainment Tonight at the time she had already completed the parenting classes required to begin the adoption process, which has now given a clear indication that the funny woman stays true to her word.
“I’m currently looking, deciding on adopting. First of all, especially after this pandemic, there are so many children left without their parents,” Tiffany revealed. “There are a lot of people that need to be loved. It’s Foster Care Awareness Month right now, and I think we all should be aware and try to do what we can.”