Tiffany Haddish is facing criticism after announcing that she’s going on a trip to to ‘educate herself’ about the .
The Girls Trip actress and comedian, 44, took to Instagram Live on Tuesday to inform her 7.4 million followers that she was currently in the business class section of an LA flight bound for Israel, stating that she was headed to the Holy Land to ‘see with my own eyes.’
Haddish is smiling and in high spirits throughout the video, seeming for all the world to be headed to an all-inclusive island resort or ski holiday, not to one of the most
The live stream, which lasted more than 13 minutes, shows the actress swirling a glass of orange juice (she clarifies several times that it’s not a mimosa, saying, ‘champagne gives me gas, I would never do that to these people’) and responding to users comments in real-time.
‘Sorry Yamaneika, I’m going without you,’ she said, likely referring to her friend and fellow comedian Yamaneika Saunders.
‘I’m gonna go meet my future man out there. I’m out. I’m going to the Holy Land. I suggest you all do it.’
She then broke into an improvised song, singing: ‘On my way to Tel Aviv, then to Jerusalem. Then I’m going to the Dead Sea and goin’ get me some. Gonna have some fun, yeah. It’s gonna be great. Then I’m gonna learn about the politics, ay.’
The actress, who made Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2018, is known for her irreverent flair which was on full display throughout her stream-of-consciousness rant on the live stream.
‘Who said I wasn’t going to Gaza?’ she responded to a comment on the Live. ‘I said I’m going to go see with my own eyes. Gotta go to Israel first.’
Many of the comments on the post reflect fans’ confusion about whether Haddish is going to see the decimation in Gaza at all or just doing a sightseeing tour of Israel.
‘And isn’t Gaza in Israel?’ she then wondered. ‘Ain’t it all on the same continent, the same little piece of land and surrounded by water?’
At one point she declared that she was going to see ‘her people,’ possibly referring to the Jewish ancestry that she discovered when she was 27 and met her Eritrean Jewish father for the first time.
After later doing a DNA test to confirm her Jewish roots, Haddish started taking Hebrew lessons and studying the Torah, and she then decided to throw herself a Bat Mitzvah (a Jewish coming-of-age ritual usually conducted on a girl’s 12th or 13th birthday) for her 40th birthday party.
‘I might come back with a little Jewish baby,’ the comedian joked before getting deeper into her reasons for the trip, telling fans that she wants to see what’s happening in Israel herself before drawing any conclusions.
‘I know a lot of stuff on social media be not true because … I see stuff people say about me, and I live my life – I’m living my life and I’m like, “That’s not what I said, that’s not true.”’
‘I’m gonna go see and then I’m gonna tell y’all what I think, I’m gonna go see with my own eyes,’ Haddish said, pausing to occasionally interact with the flight attendant or read comments.
She repeatedly reiterated throughout the video that she is not drinking champagne – the actress has twice been (driving under the influence of alcohol). She then showed viewers her snacks and the mouth tape she planned to put on to sleep during the 16-hour flight.
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Haddish’s video came amid news of the and Israeli threats to invade the southern city of Rafah in Gaza, where many Palestinians have gone to seek refuge from Israeli violence.
The Palestinian death toll is nearing 30,000 according to the Health Ministry’s most recent report.
Given the severity of the situation in Gaza, many commenters found Haddish’s livestream to be tone-deaf and her decision to go to Israel troubling.
User @ravynwngz wrote: ‘Really Tiff?! wow, honestly there so much I could say but damn this is heartbreaking, you are not a safe space and your instincts are inherently flawed and dangerous.’
Other users wondered who exactly was funding the star’s trip, with several suggesting that Israel was paying the star to visit and spread propaganda.
@amani commented, ‘how much was the check 💵?’ a sentiment echoed by @jst_hu4ns who wrote, ‘ Ur prob going to learn whatever their money wants to teach you.’
@soulsucka added, ‘Bobby Lee just mentioned something like this. Saying Israel flies out celebs and makes em post on social media 😂’
Other users were more supportive, wishing Haddish a safe flight and praising her bravery.
@purevegancakes commented ‘Have a safe journey! Can’t wait to see more of what you learn!’ and many other fans commented heart emojis and other variations of well wishes.
Metro has contacted Haddish’s reps for comment.
