Africa

If Tiffany Haddish knows one thing, it’s how to have a good time. The Girls Trip star brings art to life traveling on a girls trip of her own alongside three childhood friends Selena Martin, and sisters Shermona Long and Sparkle Clark. For Peacock’s new docuseries Tiffany Haddish Goes Off, the four embark on a month-long adventure through Africa. 

The six episodes premiering November 13 follows them as they experience all Cape Town, South Africa; Victoria Falls and Harare, Zimbabwe; and Zanzibar, Tanzania have to offer. They build stronger bonds and spiritual connection while learning about each other on a deeper level in the process. It’s Eat Pray Love meets Waiting to Exhale. 

We caught up with the ladies to reflect on their journey and being vulnerable. 

Take me through how this docuseries came about. 

Tiffany Haddish: The concept we wanted to pattern it after the movie Girls Trip. Four girls go on a trip and have an experience. Fish out of water I think is a great concept. We were definitely four fish out of our natural habitat. Also, I think people like to see beautiful women doing things outside their natural habitat. So, I figure this would be good that way. Also,  other women like to see other women outside of things they normally do and also exploring new things that will give them new ideas to explore too. So, that’s it. 

How was it opening up?

Tiffany: I know he is talking about y’all because I stay humble. 

Sparkle Clark: I didn’t know it would be so emotional. 

Shermona Long: It was tough having the cameras around all the time initially and sometimes you forget that they’re there. 

Sparkle: I didn’t forget. 

Selena Martin: I don’t think I ever forgot. 

Tiffany: I know I never forgot. I was like, “hey, the lighting is not good over here. Look up homeboy and lift that up a little bit higher because that light is about to bounce off my forehead.” 

Tiffany, you talk in the docuseries how you’ve been through so much in the last two years. How was it for you to, through this experience, be able to put into words what you’ve been through. When you see the headlines, we don’t often see the person behind them. Here you’re able to show that. 

Tiffany: Yeah, it felt good to share with my friends and by sharing with them I’m sharing with the whole world. It’s a relief to be surrounded by people who actually love me, even some of the crew members. They want to buy me houses or whatever. But I’m like, “no, we work together. No, don’t do that. Just maybe wait until the show airs, and we can talk.” I’m like, “calm down. Calm down. I don’t even go that way.” Wait, what was the question? 

I think you answered it. 

Tiffany: Yeah, I answered it. 

You’re often in the lap of luxury, but how important was it for you to also show the culture and what was really going on in these areas? 

Tiffany: It was super important to me to show what was going on because what we’re shown in the media is not exactly what is going on over there. Shermona, what did you think we were going to do? 

Shermona: I thought we were going to be in the bush, but it was just like the states. They have a lot of what we have pretty much. 

Tiffany: Yeah, when we were staying in Victoria Falls  we were staying in the bush, but we were staying in the lap of luxury. It was like we were staying in Lancaster. There just happens to be warthogs out there, wild boars, and elephants, and all kinds of stuff. So, it was awesome. The monkeys will rob you though in Cape Town. Be careful. They got monkey gangs. It ain’t people. They’re actual monkeys. 

Tiffany, what was it like being able to show who your friends are? And also for you three , how was it being able to see the other side of what Tiffany has been dealing with from celebrity. 

Sparkle: I could see how intense it was for her and how the media could be a little cruel in how she was really taking it in and it really bothered her in a sense. It was about empowering her and letting her know we’re here to support her and we got her back. 

Tiffany: I can’t wait until the show comes out because they are really going to know how it feels like. It’s like, “you’re mean! You’re mean, mean, mean. You better be nicer.” 

TIFFANY HADDISH GOES OFF — “Let the Healing Begin” — Episode 102 — Pictured: (l-r) Sparkle, Selena, Tiffany Haddish, Shermona — (Photo by: David Bloomer/PEACOCK)

What would you say was the most eye-opening part of this experience? 

Shermona: I think in Tanzania when we went to meet the mommies. They were divorced women that would normally be ostracized out of their families and they came together to form a business in order to provide for their families. We went to visit them, and we learned how they make a lot of their products. A lot of their products came from seaweed, so we were out in the ocean learning how to grow seaweed. 

Tiffany: Which I’m growing some in Manhattan Beach right now! 

Shermona: But I loved how they came together as a community of women and came together to help each other out. It was effortless. 

Selena, you’re seen as the quieter one of the group. However, you go into how important it is to have a voice. How do you look back on that realization? 

Selena: I just think the show and everything we went through has helped me be much more vocal both in my personal and professional life. It is challenging. It’s challenging to do it in your personal life with people you love and care for. It’s especially challenging to do it in front of a camera talking about things that are very personal that you may not have shared with your mom. It’s freeing. I feel like I’ve released a lot. 

Tiffany, what update can you provide on the Girls Trip sequel? 

Tiffany: Update on Girls Trip 2 movie as far as I know they are making some tweaks to the script and we’re supposed to go shoot next summer. That’s what I was told and all the girls. They called us all together. They basically asked us to keep our summer open. 

If there is a Season 2, where would you want to go next? 

Tiffany: I would love for us to go to other countries in Africa or down in South America where the diaspora is there too. 

Sparkle: Egypt, India, I want to go everywhere. 

Tiffany: We can go to Europe and find out about this tribe you are a part of [to Selena] because I didn’t even know they had tribes. Things you learn. 

Tiffany Haddish Goes Off premiere, November 13, Peacock