Tiffany Haddish opens up about being raped at 17: 'I ended up going to counseling'

Tiffany Haddish is opening up about a sexual assault she experienced as a teenager.

In a  new cover story for Glamour magazine, the 38-year-old comedian revealed she was raped by a police cadet at 17.

"That whole experience put me in such a messed-up place for a long time, and I ended up going to counseling," an emotional Haddish told the magazine.

Haddish, who stars in the upcoming comedies "Night School" and "Nobody's Fool," says she reported the assault at the time, but didn't go into detail about what came of it.

This is not the first time  the breakout star of "Girls Trip" has publicly spoken about her assault.

Last year, Haddish  shared details about the incident on the podcast "The Champs," saying she was raped the night of her homecoming dance.

The comedian said her attacker lied about his age and befriended her after meeting at a family member's baseball game. He offered to introduce her to his younger brother, Haddish said.

On the night of the high school dance, Haddish said the man offered to give her a ride home, but things took a turn for the worse when he brought her to his place instead.

"So we get there and we get to his place and I see, like, handcuffs and a police uniform and I'm like, 'What's that? Is that like a Halloween costume or something?" Haddish recalled. "And he's like, 'No I'm a cadet, I'm training to be in the police force. I want to end up being a police officer.' ... Next thing I know, I've got one arm up in the handcuff, and he's got me pinned down."

Haddish said she tried to fight off her attacker throughout the assault with one hand restrained.

"He raped me, he was stronger than me," she recalled on the podcast, as she began to cry. "It was the worst feeling in the world."

The actress told Glamour that the experience turned her into someone who is always on the defense to protect herself against unwanted advances from men.

"I notice that men are afraid of women that are aggressive. So to protect myself I become semi-aggressive," she said. "You hear about, 'Tiffany always hitting on somebody,' but that's to keep them from hitting on me."

About the Author