Tiffany Haddish Reveals She Was Raped at 17 by a Police Cadet

As #TiffanyHaddish continues to coast on her road to success, the comedian is still looking to work through the issues of her past, from foster care and homelessness to domestic violence and sexual assault. 

In a recent interview with Glamour, Haddish revisited the stories of her childhood with new details of a life-altering episode that forced her to build walls of protection around herself. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“That whole experience put me in such a messed-up place for a long time, and I ended up going to counseling,” Haddish said, as she explained being sexually assaulted by a police cadet at the age of 17. 

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Although, according to the publication, Haddish said she reported the incident at the time, she still grapples with what justice would look like for her. 

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“Me just yelling out people’s names with no thought behind it is pointless. I need a plan. I could be a voice, but what’s a voice going to do – just keep talking? Or is there action behind it?” She said. 

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But now, through that experience, she’s built a defense mechanism to protect herself, and through that, she’s learned that “men are afford of women that are aggressive. So to protect myself I become semi- agressive.” 

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“You hear about, Tiffany always hitting on somebody,” she said, but that’s to keep them from hitting on me.” 

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In the meantime, Haddish is focusing on her dreams. 

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“I want to get on that Forbes magazine, not for the money, but to be an example to other foster youths that it don’t matter how low from the bottom you are, you can always rise to the top if you believe in yourself.”