It’s always exciting when a Saturday Night Live monologue manages to do something other than break into song or take a “surprise” trip backstage. But as Tiffany Haddish showed on November 11, when a standup comedian gets the room to take the monologue and make it their own, it can become something truly special.
In a sleek white dress — which she later identified as the Alexander McQueen she bought for the Girls Trip premiere and will wear until the day she (hopefully never) dies — Haddish and her giant grin burst out onto the stage like a loose firework. “You may know me from a movie called Girls Trip,” she began, reminding the audience of her electrifying turn in the summer’s biggest comedy. She then took a quick turn, cocking an eyebrow as she griped that she hadn’t seen much of the millions of dollars that movie made. “I Googled myself,” she said. “It said I’m worth $2 million ... what do I need to do to get this money? Fake my own death? Tupac this shit and move to Tyler Perry Island?!”
But as Haddish went on to emphasize, the fact that she was in a movie as successful as Girls Trip and is now hosting SNL is something she’s always dreamed of. “I grew up in foster care,” she said. “So I want to thank anyone who paid taxes between 1990 and 1999, because if you hadn’t paid your taxes I wouldn’t be here today.”
What’s more, she went on, “I lived in group homes and my favorite show was SNL; you have no idea how difficult it is to get a room of black and Hispanic kids to watch SNL over In Living Color.”
But the best moment in Haddish’s monologue came when she took on “a hot topic,” as requested by the SNL producers. After complimenting Donald Trump’s lace-front wig — “What kind of glue is he using, because when the wind blows it don’t even move or nothing!” — she pivoted to the ongoing onslaught of sexual harassment cases hitting the news. As it turns out, Haddish has a very simple tip for men who might not understand what does and doesn’t constitute sexual harassment.
“Listen, fellas,” she began, “if you got your thang-thang out, and she got all her clothes on, you’re wrong. Wait till she takes her own clothes off, and then pull your thang out.”
Lest that sound too simple, consider just how many men have failed that particular test, and how many more could stand to take this incredibly basic “Tiff Tip” to heart.
