Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish was brought to tears during her recent stand-up gig in the state of Alabama by the appearance of a woman that she says transformed her life.

Haddish realized that this woman was her childhood social worker. In a video posted on Dec. 22, Haddish's eyes locked on to the audience as the woman began to speak. "I don't know if you remember me, my name is Coleta Lewis," she said. Haddish quickly replied in shock, "Coleta!? Lewis!? My social worker!? Turn the lights on."

A post shared by instagram

But what happened next is what brought all the audience members to their feet. Haddish hugged Lewis, picking her up from the floor. She spoke to her from the stage: "You saved my life. I'm where I'm at now because of you. You encouraged me. You were one of the first people to believe in me. Thank you. I love you."

Haddish continued to tell the crowd about the significant decision Lewis made for her when she was a teenager. She continued, "You can go to Laugh Factory Comedy Camp or psychiatric therapy, 'cause something is wrong with you."

Haddish continued with humor, "And I was winning all them drama festivals and I said, 'Which one got drugs?' and you said, 'You gon' be on drugs, you gon' go to therapy. So I went to the comedy camp, and now I'm smoking weed, but I'm good though." She said the decision "changed her whole life," joking, "Yo', I wouldn't even be doing this right now if it wasn't for you. I probably would have like six baby daddies and sh-t."

Haddish also talked about the spiritual implication of the show. In her comments, she said, "I wanted to quit doing stand up I was over it. I was praying to My God before that show to give me a sign that I should keep doing stand up. Then out of nowhere God sends the 1st person outside of my family that actually believed in me."

Coleta Lewis remembered, "I remember going to see her at the Laugh Factory and cheering for her. If I could see her now, I'd hug her and tell her I'm not surprised how successful she is."

Haddish, who grew up in foster care after her mother suffered a serious car accident, said Lewis helped guide her toward opportunities that nurtured her talent. She met Lewis in high school, and the support provided "opened up my world," she told People magazine in 2019.

Haddish has a stand-up tour scheduled from February through July 2026, indicating she will continue performing despite contemplating retirement earlier this year.