Tiffany Haddish Shares Emotional Tie to Sports Illustrated Cover

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Tiffany Haddish is famous for her comedy, but her recent success story is actually quite touching.

The comedian was overjoyed to be featured on the cover of the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, explaining that her excitement went beyond just feeling good about her appearance.

Tiffany shared with TopMob News at a New York event on May 14th that she’s pursuing modeling to honor her grandmother and continue her family’s legacy, explaining it’s a very important goal for her.

It’s about so much more than just appearances,” Tiffany explained. “This feels deeply connected to my family history, and I’m incredibly happy and thankful.

You know, I’m a big believer in embracing your feelings, and I totally get those moments where emotions just hit you out of nowhere! I was chatting with Tiffany recently, and she was sharing a really special story – a true ‘full circle’ moment for her. She actually started to tear up, which is perfectly okay, by the way! She playfully blamed it on, well, let’s just say a natural part of being a woman, and cracked a joke to lighten the mood. It was such a relatable and authentic moment, and it reminded me that it’s okay to be vulnerable and laugh at ourselves, even when we’re feeling emotional!

Landing the coveted Sports Illustrated cover was a lifelong dream for the actress, and she revealed that Paris Hilton played a key role in making it a reality. She found out she’d been chosen as a Sports Illustrated model during a surprise reveal at Paris Hilton’s home.

Tiffany explained that she found out she’d landed the cover in a surprising way: her manager blindfolded her and took her to Paris Hilton’s house. When she opened her eyes, Paris was there with a cake that revealed the exciting news – she was going to be a cover model for Sports Illustrated. She said she was completely shocked and overwhelmed.

Okay, seriously, when Tiffany told me she heard the news from Paris I almost died! It’s just…Paris’ mom, Kathy Hilton, has been so amazing to Tiffany ever since she met Tiffany’s grandma. Like, Kathy was literally telling Tiffany to try out for a Monse fashion show two years ago! Can you believe it? And then, the next year, Monse actually hired her! It’s just… everything feels so meant to be, you know? I’m telling you, Kathy is an angel and this is HUGE for Tiffany!

Read on for more of Tiffany Haddish’s major career highlights.

In 2014, Haddish was cast as Jackie, a Burger Fast employee, in OWN’s If Loving You Is Wrong.

She started with small roles in films back in 2005, but her first significant part came in April 2016 when she played Trina Parker, also known as “Hi-C,” in the movie Keanu.

I was so excited when I saw that each of the amazing women from Girls Trip – Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, and Jada Pinkett Smith – all got their own individual cover of Essence magazine for the July 2017 issue! It was a fantastic way to celebrate them and the movie.

The comedy film Girls Trip debuted at number one in theaters in July 2017, bringing in over $31 million during its first weekend. It ultimately earned a total of $137 million around the world.

On July 19, 2017, the actress was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to talk about her movie Girls Trip and tell funny stories about Jada Pinkett Smith.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this! Back on August 4th, 2017, my absolute FAVORITE actress played Phoebe in Jay-Z’s incredible “Moonlight” video – it was a whole Friends tribute! And the cast was AMAZING. Jerrod Carmichael was the perfect Ross, Lil Rel Howery nailed Joey, Issa Rae was such a good Rachel, Lakeith Stanfield totally embodied Chandler, and Tessa Thompson… Monica! It was a dream come true seeing all of them together in that video. I’ve watched it like a million times!

I’ll never forget August 18, 2017 – it was incredible! That was the day Tiffany Haddish’s special, She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood, finally came out. Seeing her fulfill a lifelong dream was just amazing, and I was so thrilled to be able to watch it.

At the 2017 MTV VMAs, Tiffany Haddish, with Pete Davidson by her side, revealed that Kendrick Lamar had won Best Hip-Hop Video for his song “Humble.”

Taylor Swift was the musical guest on the Nov. 11 episode.

The actress published her memoir, The Last Black Unicorn, on Dec. 5, 2017.

After gaining attention for a funny story she told on TV about a Groupon deal, she became the company’s official spokesperson and even appeared in their Super Bowl commercial in 2018.

The actress from Night School attended shows by Tory Burch and Jeremy Scott during New York Fashion Week in 2018, and she was even seated in the front row.

Tiffany Haddish won an Emmy Award in 2018 for her hosting work on Saturday Night Live, earning the title of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

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2026-05-16 00:51