Tiffany Haddish talks drama following her to Africa on new Peacock series: ‘Great to be with my girls going through that’

Tiffany Haddish discusses traveling to Africa with her three best friends in new Peacock docuseries, “Tiffany Haddish Goes Off.” 

Tiffany Haddish travels far for her latest adventure — all the way to Africa — but not far enough to avoid the drama from home.

In the pilot episode of her new Peacock series, “Tiffany Haddish Goes Off,” the 45-year-old actress and comedian journeys to the Motherland for an adventure with her childhood friends and quickly finds herself facing some familiar chaos: drama surrounding her ex.

“Well, it was great to be with my girls going through that,” the “Girls Trip” star told TheGrio in an interview ahead of the show’s release. 

“A lot of times I go through those things, and I’ll be at home, sitting on the couch getting ready to watch a cartoon, and then it comes up, and it’s like, dang, I need somebody around me. Nobody’s around me but my cats and dogs,” she continued. “But to be in Africa with my girls, and still, this mess comes up—still, people try it. Sitting with them, and keeping me calm. You know, we laughing about it. You know, I express how I feel about it. Maybe, you know, try to encourage them to maybe go with me, to cuss some people out. It’s great to not be alone and to be with your girls.”

It’s a relatable moment for anyone who’s ever tried to relax on a girls’ trip only to have their peace interrupted by notifications from an ex or gossip from back home — something the “After Party” alum knows all too well. In addition to the high-profile breakup still following her from 2021, she’s weathered a string of tough headlines over the past few years, from DUI-related arrests in 2022 and 2023 that led to a sobriety journey to social media backlash in 2024 during a previous trip to Africa after she made a lighthearted post. It’s all part of the turmoil she seems ready to shed — and the show has plenty of those moments where laughter and healing go hand in hand.

Premiering on Thursday, Nov. 13 on Peacock, “Tiffany Haddish Goes Off” is a six-episode docuseries that follows “The Last OG” actress and her three best friends, Selena Martin, Shermona Long, and Sparkle Clark, as they embark on a month-long adventure across Africa, including stops in South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Between breathtaking views and adrenaline-filled excursions, viewers can expect plenty of humor, heart, and real-life reflection about sisterhood and self-care.

“Some of the things we did, I was not expecting at all,” Long said. “Getting in that cold water, you know, jumping off stuff and hiking up areas, Tiffany had a surprise for us every day.”

One of those surprises includes Haddish getting married during a traditional wedding ceremony to herself. 

“It made us closer, tighter, stronger,” she explained of the whole trip. “That’s the thing about taking a trip with your friends, now you guys have an exclusive experience and inside jokes that nobody else got.” 

While much of the whirlwind adventure is shared with viewers, the comedian noted there are still some things that didn’t make the final cut.

For her, the trip was more than a getaway — it was personal. As an adult, she learned her father, Tsihaye Reda Haddish, was from Eritrea, a revelation that profoundly shaped her sense of identity. Since then, she’s returned to the East African nation several times, even becoming a dual citizen after her first visit in 2018. That journey deepened her connection to her roots and to herself, but even before she discovered her heritage, Haddish said she had long dreamed of visiting the continent.

“I have been saying it for years, okay, since we all was little girls, Africa,” she explained about her motivation to take the trip now with her friends. 

Unlike when they were children, she said now the finances and the schedules finally lined up. Plus, she noted with the “crazy world we living in, might as well see as much of it as we can, while we can.” 

She hopes “Tiffany Haddish Goes Off” will inspire other Black travelers to do the same. 

“I want other people that look like us to go see [Africa],” she urged. “Experience it, and to realize that all the little infomercials and little things they show you on TV is not necessarily what it is. And there’s a reason that you know, people that are not indigenous to there seem to go all the time, so we should too.”

And if there’s one lesson she wants viewers to take away, it’s the value of community — especially when life gets messy. 

“To love more on your sisters and your friends,” Haddish said. “You know, get out of the country and see something … If it’s somewhere you always thought about going, get your friends together and go. Go get a travel agent and pay over a year, make payments, whatever. Go though, have experiences; we on this planet to experience the whole earth.”