Tiffany Haddish Defends Herself After Video Of African Grocery Store Visit Goes Viral

Tiffany Haddish caught flak for how she reacted to a grocery store in Africa, which she believes is unjustified. Haddish recently traveled to Zimbabwe, and recorded herself walking around a store, in awe of it. She commented on the store being “humongous,” and expressed delight at finding items like sugar cane and organic strawberries, hallmarks of most grocery stores in the world.

Viewers responded with a mixed reaction. Some were thankful to Haddish for attempting to contribute to dispelling stereotypes. Others made fun of her for reacting to the store as if she expected Africa to not have any grocery stores. “Tiffany Haddish, the first woman to discover a grocery store in Africa,” said a user on X. “I’m too confused on whether to laugh or feel sorry for her. It would be good to get @TiffanyHaddish to explain why she was surprised in seeing a grocery store in our beloved country? It’s not like we get our food through scavenging or hunting & gathering,” said a second user. Haddish disagrees with the more critical reactions to her post. She took to X to deliver a lengthy rebuttal to those critiques, saying that her goal was not to offend, but to “demystify” Africa as a continent. She also implored more Black Americans to make the trip.

This is not the first time this year that Tiffany Haddish has caught heat for a trip. Earlier this year, she went to Israel to “see what’s going on” and to “meet [her] future man.” Fans criticized that decision, as the latest conflict in the long-standing issues between Israel and Palestine has raged since last October and Haddish seemed to make a mockery of it all with her comments about intending to find a man.

Tiffany Haddish most recently appeared as Tabitha in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Otherwise, this has been a relatively quiet year for the typically very public comedian. She recently published the memoir I Curse You With Joy, a series of essays about highlights and lowlights of her decades-long career as a comedian. The book received positive reviews from readers who appreciated its honesty. Perhaps a writer should pick her words more carefully next time.