Tiffany Haddish Was Asked to Host the Grammy’s For Exposure, Not Pay
By: Jessica Lovejoy
Tags: Equality, Culture, Work, Creativity, Celebrity

Tiffany Haddish Was Asked to Host the Grammy’s For Exposure, Not Pay

Tiffany Haddish is an accomplished actress, producer, stand-up comic, and author. She keeps an impressive portfolio of television and film appearances on The Carmichael Show, Keanu, Night School, Like A Boss, and most famously 2017’s award-winning Girls Trip, in which she starred beside Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Regina Hall. In 2019, ABC revived the show Kid’s Say the Darndest Things, which Haddish hosted and produced. She even got her own comedy special on Showtime, Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood.

Haddish keeps it very real, and she’s funny as hell doing it. It’s no wonder why she’s in such high demand in Hollywood, nor is it surprising that she would be offered the job of hosting the 2021 Grammy’s pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony, a live stream virtual event.

What is surprising, not to mention insulting and problematic, is that Haddish was asked to host the Grammy event for free.

It was a three-hour hosting gig, in which Haddish was told she would not be paid for her time. She would not be compensated for her hair, wardrobe, and makeup costs either. Haddish turned the job down.

Haddish spoke to Variety about turning down the hosting gig, saying:

“All of that would have to come out of my pocket. I don’t know if this might mean I might not get nominated ever again, but I think it’s disrespectful.” “The exposure is amazing but I think I have enough. I appreciate you guys asking. And as much as I appreciate the honor of being nominated, that’s not OK.”

Since the news broke, the Academy has apologized to the comedian.

Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy Interim President and CEO, also spoke out on Instagram, posting a public apology to the actress, saying he was unaware of the decision made by a talent booker working for the Academy not to compensate Haddish.

“I’m frustrated by that decision. It was a lapse in judgment, it was in poor taste and it was disrespectful to the creative community. I’m part of the creative community. I know what that feels like, and it’s not right.”

So, can we talk about what life would be like if other professions were paid like artists?

Screengrab from Twitter, Source

The exhausting expectation of people in the creative world to work for free is insulting, no matter who it is. But for a talented Black actress like Haddish to be asked to work for exposure, well, what does that say to the Black community? What does that say to the creative community? What does that say to women artists?

In no other field is someone expected to work “for exposure” other than the creative field. For creatives, we see this asked of us all the time.

I’ve been offered to submit my writing to several online publications that have enough money to pay for my work, and they assure me that the exposure will be great for my career.

Okay, but what about my car payment? Or my groceries? Or my dog’s vet bills? Exposure isn't going to pay my bills, so stop offering it in exchange for my hard work.