Tiffany Haddish: After Foster Care I Became Homeless and Had a Breakdown (Part 3)

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Tiffany Haddish was doing comedy until she became emancipated from the foster care system, which led to her becoming homeless. Her living situation contributed to a severe case of depression and an eventual mental breakdown. However, her time in psychiatric therapy helped remind her of the joy comedy brought to her.

After getting back into stand-up, she was invited to do a 15-minute show for $50 after her second open mic night since her return to comedy. But, she failed to read the room and realized she was telling irrelevant jokes to a room full of lesbian women. Despite bombing the performance, she was still paid for her time and decided she was doing comedy for the rest of her life.

She started hosting at the Laugh Factory after three months - a position many female comedians don't get. One of her breaks came through a co-worker, who was friends with an agent looking for an attractive, Black female comedian for a comedy show. Even though she didn't get the part, the agent still booked her small parts on TV shows, such as That's So Raven and My Name is Earl.

Haddish also talked about befriending a lot of assistants and behind-the-scene workers during her rise, who are now executives, directors, or managers.