These days, Tiffany Haddish is a fixture in Hollywood. This summer, she’s hitting the big screen alongside Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.”
But the actress acknowledges that none of it would be possible without a special teacher who changed her life.
Appearing on the May 7 episode of “The View” to promote her new memoir, “I Curse You With Joy,” Haddish took time to give a shout out to the teacher who helped her learn to read, her high school drama teacher Ms. Grieb.
The “Girls Trip” star said when she was a ninth grader at El Camino Real High School in Los Angeles, Ms. Grieb discovered her issues with reading and used time during her lunch period to help the actress get on track.
“I was very good at hiding and masking and pretending and she figured out that I couldn’t do it very well,” Haddish said. “She would give me magazines and newspapers and she would sit with me to read. Basically by the end of the semester, I was reading.”
Haddish said she’s kept in touch with Ms. Grieb by phone and through social media over the years, but she had not seen her beloved teacher in over 25 years. That is, until “The View” hosts presented Haddish with the ultimate surprise – bringing Ms. Grieb on set. During the emotional reunion, Haddish thanked her teacher for helping her during a difficult point in her life.
“Thank you so much for always encouraging me, and taking time with me and listening to me,” Haddish told Ms. Grieb. “During that time I was really struggling a lot and you were the most consistent, constant thing in my world next to my grandma. I’m so grateful for you, I’m so glad I met you. Thank you so much for being kind.”