Tiffany Haddish has pushed back an upcoming standup comedy show at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, citing Georgia’s abortions laws as the reason.
“After much deliberation, I am postponing my upcoming show in Atlanta,” read Haddish’s statement of her June 22 show. 11Alive reported it was issued to ticketholders Saturday, June 15. “I love the state of Georgia, but I need to stand with women and until they withdraw Measure HB481, I cannot in good faith perform there.”
Gov. Brian Kemp signed the measure, known as the “heartbeat bill,” into law in May. It bans abortions the moment a heartbeat is detected. That can come as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, when many women are not aware that they are expecting.
If women do go ahead and get an abortion illegally, they could face life in prison and the death penalty.
Still, there are some exceptions. In the case of rape or incest, abortions are permitted up until the 20th week of pregnancy. Abortion would also be permitted if the woman’s life is in danger.
The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
Regardless, some fans are skeptical about Haddish’s reasoning for temporarily pulling the plug on the show, a makeup date for which has yet to be announced. They posited that the show was actually canceled because of low ticket sales, despite Haddish saying she was postponing, not outright canceling, the gig.
“Actually the venue canceled her show due to poor ticket sales. This is merely her excuse.”
“wagers @TiffanyHaddish had weak ticket sales and this was a convenient way to bail.”
“Her tickets sales sucked!!..couldn’t even sell them on Groupon…that’s why she cancelled….FACT….nothing to do with heartbeat bill.”
“The show is next week, this was all going on when she booked it. Wondering if this is a way to make a statement due to low ticket sales? And why not donate proceeds like @ArianaGrande? What say you @TiffanyHaddish? Feels like a cop out.”
The Fox Theatre issued a statement saying purchases made with a credit card will be refunded within 7 to 10 business days; fees will also be reimbursed. Meanwhile, those who paid for their tickets with cash at the venue’s ticket office have to bring the ticket back to the box office for their refund. Those with questions can get in touch with the Fox Theatre Ticket Office by calling 404-881-2017 or sending an email to [email protected].
