Tiffany Haddish said the story behind her dress at tonight’s #Oscars was inspired by her Eritrean roots. pic.twitter.com/Cu9kJMUAVN
— Michael Blackmon (@blackmon) March 5, 2018
Tiffany Haddish’s Oscars red carpet look was definitely one of a kind. The “Girls Trip” star took a cue from her father’s heritage and wore an Eritrean gown in his honor.
“My father is from Eritrea and he passed away last year,” she tells ABC’s Michael Strahan at the Sunday, March 4 ceremony. “And he said one day I would end up here and if I ever end up at the Oscars to honor my people and I’m honoring my fellow Eritreans. Elelelele!”
The gown, a traditional dress from the North East African country, is called a zuria according to Quartz. Such gowns are typically worn during formal ceremonies, hence why Haddish declared to E! News that “the princess of Eritrea has arrived.”
Many Eritreans applauded her gown online.
“Man I’m getting emotional. Tiffany Haddish is a real-life Nigisti,” one person tweeted, referencing her royal status.
“We stan an Eritrean queen, empress of the horn,” said another.
“Eleleleleing all day, what a time to be alive, what did we do to deserve Tiffany Haddish?” another wondered.
Although estranged from her father for years, Haddish had reconnected with him thanks to her former husband and he was able to walk her down the aisle at her wedding.
Tsihaye Reda Haddish, the comedian’s father, was reportedly a refugee and while his bond with his daughter never got especially strong, Haddish certainly values her father and his culture, as evidenced by a trip she took to Eritrea earlier this year. There, she visited the cemetery and met her family for the first time.
