Tiffany Haddish defends Zimbabwe grocery store TikTok video after backlash

By Amarachi Orie and Nimi Princewill, CNN

(CNN) — Tiffany Haddish has responded to a backlash over a video she posted on TikTok in which she excitedly showed the folk back home that there are grocery stores in Zimbabwe.

In the nearly five-minute video uploaded Sunday, the comedian and actress films herself entering a supermarket.

“Hey, y’all. So, I’m out here in Zimbabwe in Harare and look at the grocery store. They got a grocery store. It’s beautiful,” Haddish says.

In the course of the video, the “Girls Trip” star shows her followers the different items on sale and sections of the store, including organic strawberries, meat, a frozen food section, sanitary products, trash bags, cornflakes, pet food, cash registers and even a “Caution: wet floor” sign.

“Look at this grocery store. It’s huge! It’s absolutely humongous. In Africa, baby. Yeah. Believe it, believe it, believe it, believe it. Africa. Zimbabwe. Uh-huh,” she says at one point in the video.

She then puts on a squeaky voice, saying, “Aw, they not got a (inaudible) store,” before saying in her own voice: “I just like demystifying sh*t.”

Many social media users took her excitement at face value.

“Tiffany Haddish is surprised that there’s a grocery stores in Africa..? What’s wrong with these people?” one X user wrote in a post Sunday.

On Monday, Haddish replied to the post, saying, “We have been lied to that what’s wrong.”

Another X user wrote, “Tiffany this ain’t the time to be a comedian,” with another adding to the chain, saying, “Which part was meant to be funny?”

Haddish replied to this comment, saying, “None (of) it. Just showing my hood they was wrong.”

Zimbabwean influencer Plot Mhako defended the comedian’s video, telling CNN on Tuesday, “I think many people who criticized Tiffany Haddish’s video might have missed the dark humor and jest in it. As a comedian, her portrayal reflects a widely held negative perception about some African countries, providing a satirical take on the reality.”

Mhako, who is also an arts administrator and journalist, added that Haddish’s reaction “highlights how many Westerners have limited knowledge about Africa but also how the media generally portrays Africa,” and said her comedic portrayal “can spark conversations about the need for a more nuanced and informed understanding of the continent.”

In a thread on X, a user named Tinashe M, whose location is set to Africa, also expressed support for the comedian, saying on Monday, “Tiffany Haddish was right to be surprised by the grocery store in Zimbabwe,” adding: “She definitely shouldn’t be called ignorant.”

He then went on to refer to data from the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce that estimates the informal economy to make up around 64.1% of GDP, as well as 2022 research from Boston Consulting Group that says that on average African consumers buy more than 70% of their food, beverages and personal care products from small and independent shops.

“This indicates that modern large-format retail stores are not so common that you would expect a celebrity who lives 10,000 miles away to know they exist in a county,” he added in the thread.

CNN has reached out to Haddish’s representative for comment.

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