Tiffany Haddish’s ex-husband previously said he didn’t want to drag her through the mud. (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Tiffany Haddish’s memoir, “The Last Black Unicorn,” came under fire recently after the star’s ex-husband denied he had ever abused her. But now, a temporary restraining order proves that the truth isn’t all that clear.
In 2011 documents obtained by Radar Online, the “Girls Trip” star alleges her ex, William Stewart, attacked her several times. The first incident occurred in July 2010 while Haddish was performing at a Montreal comedy festival with other comics.
“We were in Montreal, Canada, when he choked me in the stairway of the hotel,” Haddish alleged in the documents. “I ran away from him. I ran because he was trying to make me stay in the room. But I wanted to stay in the lobby and talk to my fellow comedians.”
She claimed the weapons used were Stewart’s “very strong hands” and said she had bruises on her neck after the choking.
This was detailed in her book, where Haddish said she was at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival with comedian Tom Green. She claimed Stewart became angry when she saw the two talking.
[My husband ]just snatched me by my shirt, and pulled me to the elevator and threw me in it … once we got to our hotel room, he was so quick,” she wrote according to excerpts obtained by E! Online. “He snatched me by the neck and slammed me into the wall.”
Related: Tiffany Haddish’s Wild Ride to Stardom
Did Tiffany Haddish’s White Co-Author Steal Her Shine with His Controversial Past?
Twitter Reacts: Golden Globes Snubs of 2018
Tiffany Haddish: ‘We Have to Be Role Models to Young Girls’
Another choking case occurred later that month where Haddish punched Stewart to get him to back off. She claimed he ran after her and pulled her to the ground twice — after the second time, he sat on her. As a result, she alleged she was unable to scream for help.
In July 2011, a domestic violence incident allegedly saw her with a “black eye, bruised neck, elbow, and back.”
“He body slammed me and choked me — threw me up against a wall,” Haddish claimed.
Police were called and Haddish was granted a temporary restraining order but it was dropped in an attempt to work out the union, which ultimately resulted in divorce.
The surfaced documents follow Stewart’s assertion to V-103 that he did not put hands on his ex-wife.
“I have never beat or hit or called a woman a [sic] ‘MF or B’ while having a disagreement ever in my life,” he said Thursday, Dec. 14. “I never caused a miscarriage, I have documents to prove this,” Stewart said. “Tiffany advised me about a month ago about the book and she told me that I would be furious.”
He said he’d been seeking legal representation over the matter and it appears he’s made good on his word.
Atlanta-based attorney Michael T. Sterling confirmed Stewart retained the services of him and Mississippi-based lawyer E. Carlos Tanner III — but they are not going after Haddish.
“Mr. William Stewart has retained our services to protect his reputation, not to sue anyone for anything in particular,” Sterling told Atlanta Black Star in a statement. “Mr. Stewart is a private figure whose job requires for him to keep and pass high-level government security clearances. There are charged statements accusing Mr. Stewart of criminal conduct in Ms. Haddish’s book that has thrust Mr. Stewart into an unwanted national spotlight. The book is so popular and he has become the subject of so much unwanted attention that he has become rightfully concerned about his ability to maintain his employment and his reputation.”
Sterling said the team is unsure of who has spread the “false and defamatory statements that [Stewart] committed domestic abuse and that his abuse led to a miscarriage of his unborn child.”
“It may or may not be Ms. Haddish that is responsible for those inflammatory accusations,” he added. “It may be a ghostwriter, an editor or the publisher — Simon and Schuster. With that said, Mr. Stewart did not hire us to sue anyone specifically. He hired us to defend his reputation. We are going to go where the facts and evidence lead us so that we can resolve this unfortunate situation.”
