Tiffany Haddish explains her ‘crazy’ Usher herpes joke: ‘That s*** is funny’
‘If he had said, ‘Tiff, don’t say that no more. I don’t like it. I’m not comfortable with you saying that,’ I would stop saying it,’ comedian said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tiffany Haddish has offered an explanation for her “crazy” joke, in which she claims “Usher spreads herpes”.
In a new interview, the 42-year-old stand-up comedian and actor spoke about making jokes at the expense of others.
“I never thought you could just say horrible things about somebody and think they’re not going to slap the s*** out of you,” Haddish told Cosmopolitan.
Her comment seemingly corresponds with her previous defence of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards.
She continued: “I check and verify with people. If I can’t say it to your face, I shouldn’t be able to say it. Period. That’s how I draw the line.
“I got this joke, ‘I curse you out with joy. I hope that you spread it. I hope you spread it like Usher spreads herpes,” she added. “I have said that in front of Usher.”
When asked how the “OMG” singer responded, Haddish recalled: “Usher said, ‘Your ass is crazy.’ I said, ‘Yeah, well, there’s a rumour out there saying you got herpes. I don’t know if you do or don’t, but that s*** is funny.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, it is.’”
She went on to clarify that if “Usher had said, ‘Tiff, don’t say that no more. I don’t like it. I’m not comfortable with you saying that,’ I would stop saying it”.
Haddish recently starred in the Apple TV+ whodunnit crime comedy series, The Afterparty. She is set to reprise her role as Detective Danner in its forthcoming second season, for which a release date has not yet been announced.
Read The Independent’s full two-star review of The Afterparty here.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments