Tiffany Haddish Explains Why She's Decided to Be Celibate

Tiffany Haddish is opening up about how her past relationships have shaped her understanding of love and her connection to her body. During an appearance on Monday's episode of On Purpose With Jay Shetty, the 44-year-old explained her reasoning for going celibate.

When Shetty asks Haddish if it was a deliberate choice to be celibate, she shares, "I just don't wanna lay down with just anybody, you know? I just feel like, dang, I am the prize and these dudes gotta qualify."

"When I think about my track record of who I['ve laid] down with it, it takes like a year or so for me to even warm up," she adds. "It feels easy. I don't know, I've been working out a lot. So I feel like I get my sexual frustrations out in the workout. And then, like I said, gadgets."

The GRAMMY winner explains that her past relationships have taught her to be more mindful of who she decides to "share a piece" of herself with romantically.

"When you're laying down with people that's not really as ambitious as you are or comfortable in their skin or confident with who they are, or even just not necessarily confident, it becomes a problem. And I think when you lay down with somebody, you are sharing your soul," she tells Shetty. "You are sharing a piece of yourself, you're giving a little piece of yourself up. And I don't, I think like I only got so much soul left and I don't wanna necessarily just give it over to anybody. You know? I don't know if the soul grows, I don't know if you can rejuvenate new soul like you do skin or hair, but it just feels like... I don't wanna subject myself to it."

Haddish has most notably dated rapper and actor Common, whom she first met while filming the 2019 movie The Kitchen. In April 2020, the two went on a virtual Bumble date while quarantining amid the coronavirus pandemic, and sparks started to fly. A few months later, they were seen at a Black Lives Matter protest together. Haddish confirmed their relationship in August 2020.

The couple confirmed their breakup in November 2021, saying their split was due to busy schedules and a lack of opportunities to be together.

Following the news of their split, Common was a guest on an episode of Hollywood Unlocked With Jason Lee: Uncensored, where he claimed that he and Haddish "came to the understanding" mutually to break up and "that this is what’s gonna be best for us, to still continue to love each other and be there for each other is to not be in a romantic relationship because we won’t be able to give to that."

"I don't want to be one foot in, one foot out," he explained, at the time.

In a profile for The Washington Post last July, Haddish spoke highly of her relationship with the rapper-turned-actor, calling it "the healthiest, the funnest relationship I've ever had."

However, Haddish revealed that their breakup was "not mutual" and that Common -- whose legal name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn -- broke up with her over the phone.

"It wasn't mutual," she told the publication. "It was more him saying, 'I think this relationship has run its course.' And I was like, 'OK. Like you gonna be a 50-year-old single man. OK?'"

The Haunted Mansion actress explained that there were signs her relationship with Common was coming to an end -- specifically when she did not receive an invitation to accompany Common to former President Barack Obama's birthday that year and even more so when she didn't celebrate Common's own birthday. After this, Haddish said Common ultimately ended things with her over the phone.

Common has since begun a relationship with EGOT recipient Jennifer Hudson. The couple first sparked dating rumors in 2022, and have been spotted holding hands, and attended various outings, including basketball games, together.

On an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show in late January, the pair sweetly confirmed their relationship status while gushing about each other's accomplishments.

Speaking with Shetty, Haddish notes there are lots of people she dated that she misses for "the fun" they had together, and other exes that she "probably shouldn't have been missing."

She laments that the exes that have "inflicted a lot of physical pain on me, the ones that inflicted emotional pain on me," are the ones she would find herself missing the most.

"I would subject myself to that man and I would be like, happy to be in his presence, but at the same time, when he's not on, I'll be hurting so bad, like, and fending for him," she says, referring to a specific ex referenced in her memoir. "And, breaking myself from that would be like, 'OK, what else do you love? What else do you care about? Put your energy into something else.'"

Haddish says she has new criteria for men she decides to date, highlighting a need for him to be "physically healthy and fit" and "needs to know how to run something."

Watch Haddish's full On Purpose With Jay Shetty appearance below.

Haddish has been opening up about her life after hitting a few bumps on the road to fame.

In November, she was cited for driving under the influence for the second time in two years.

The Beverly Hills Police Department told ET that the comedian was cited by police officers on Nov. 24, 2023 after witnesses allegedly observed her stopping in the middle of Beverly Drive, apparently asleep with her car still running.

Law enforcement officers responded to a call and, upon arriving at the scene, proceeded to arrest her for driving under the influence. TMZ was the first to break the news, detailing the incident. Haddish was released several hours after her arrest.

The incident marked Haddish's second DUI arrest, with the first occurring in January 2022. At that time, she was arrested in Atlanta after officers responded to a report of someone sleeping behind the wheel. Haddish faced charges of DUI and improper stopping on a roadway, eventually being released after posting a $1,666 bond.

Soon after her arrest, the Girls Trip star told ET she had spent a long Thanksgiving Day that started with feeding underprivileged people at The Laugh Factory. Haddish delivered a special holiday set at the venue's 43rd annual free feast for locals.

"I'm going to get some help so I can learn balance and boundaries," she noted.

Haddish also said that she's in good spirits following the arrest, and complimented the Beverly Hills Police Department for their professionalism and how they handled the situation.

Haddish ultimately pleaded no contest to a reduced charge, The Los Angeles Times reported. She was sentenced to a year of probation, ordered to complete a driver's education program, the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Program, L.A. County's Hospital and Morgue Program, and 40 hours of community service. She also had to pay fines and fees.

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