This Reporter Didn’t Stand a Chance When Asking Tiffany Haddish About Her Outfit

Please don’t come for Tiffany Haddish unless she sends for you.

At least that was the lesson one reporter learned when interviewing the Girls Trip star on the Oscars red carpet and daring to ask her about her “costume.” Haddish was a presenter at Sunday’s Oscars and wore a bold and daring off-the-shoulder, emerald-green gown designed by Dolce & Gabbana.

But after her high-profile presentation, she switched gowns as she headed to the Vanity Fair after-party.

But when Lauren Zima, a journalist at Entertainment Tonight, called Haddish’s switch a “costume change,” that didn’t sit well with the comedian, who took a moment to issue a classy clap back that went viral.

 “I’m not wearing a costume. I’m wearing Dolce & Gabbana. It’s called an evening gown, darling,” she said. “No one is paying me for this. I paid for it, it’s custom. Thank you.”

Even the reporter had to laugh it off.

I Curse You With Joy

Tiffany Haddish is releasing a book at the end of November.

According to The Associated Press, the book, an essay collection by the comedienne, is titled I Curse You With Joy and released by Amistad. The book company, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced last week that this collection is scheduled to be released on Nov. 29.

“After my first book, I knew I wanted to share more of myself in I Curse You With Joy, Haddish said in a written statement. “I want to bring readers on a journey with me that is hahahas and highs and lows, so people know even through the hurt, you can spread joy.”

This isn’t Haddish’s first book. She released her first book of essays, The Last Black Unicorn, which became a bestseller when it was published in 2017. She also has a picture book, Layla, the Last Black Unicorn, scheduled for release in May.

This latest collection, I Curse You With Joy, will include stories of how Haddish has used and continues to use comedy to help with her pain and turn it into art. She writes about how she auditioned for Saturday Night Live before becoming the first Black female comic to host the late-night comedy show. She also discusses how the trauma in her own life has helped transform her into a more compassionate person and her complicated relationship with her father, whom she reunited with after she was 20.

Haddish most recently commented on the recent Oscars controversy involving Will Smith and Chris Rock, where Smith slapped Rock on stage at the Academy Awards ceremony. She stated that what Smith did was admirable because he was defending his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

“When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife, that meant so much to me,” Haddish told PEOPLE at the Governors Ball following the ceremony. The actress continued to uphold her argument that Will’s actions were notable, especially for protecting his wife.

Haddish went on to directly address Rock’s actions. While noting that he’s a “friend” of Will and Jada, she also questioned his intentions behind the joke. “Why would you do that? He didn’t even run the joke by her, but she was hurt though. Would you do that for your wife? Would you say, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your m***** f******…’ Like, yes! Yes!”