Tiffany Haddish's Reaction To Receiving A Gift From Tyler Perry Is Priceless

These days, it's probably safe to assume that, when it comes to financing her fundamental needs, Tiffany Haddish has it covered, all on her own. That being said, even with her success on the rise, the actor-comedian still understands what it means to be on the receiving end of a thoughtful gesture, and how meaningful that can be. So, when Tiffany Haddish received a special gift from Tyler Perry, she responded in perhaps the most affirming way: with tons of gratitude, the upmost sincerity, and, naturally, a few tears, too.

Speaking at Hollywood Confidential's panel series in L.A. Friday night, July 6, Haddish first mentioned Perry's unexpected gift during a conversation with Entertainment Tonight. (As ET's subsequent report mentioned, the evening's panel lineup included a segment called An Evening With Tiffany Haddish, which, as the name suggests, put Haddish center stage.) Those who saw Haddish's Saturday Instagram post unveiling the gift know Perry's surprise was a pretty big one. As Haddish went on to tell ET, Perry gifted her with a brand-new Tesla, after she'd previously told him it was her "dream car."

Haddish and Perry have worked together a couple of times before, but it sounds like the two developed a pretty incredible friendship while working on Perry's upcoming film, Nobody's Fool, which hits theaters this fall. Filming on Nobody's Fool has already wrapped, but it seems safe to say Perry and Haddish are still keeping in touch. Per a recent report by Variety, it actually sounds like Perry has become something of a mentor to Haddish over the years, so it makes sense that he seems so invested in her personal growth and success.

"He sent me the video [revealing the gift] a week ago and I was, like, 'Stop lying! Don't you be playing with my emotions!'" Haddish told ET during Friday's interview. Of course, as Haddish quickly came to learn, Perry wasn't messing around. Once she understood the gesture was legit, Haddish — understandably — got pretty emotional. Which is mostly to say, Haddish "cried so hard" when she found out. At least, that's what she told ET. "When I saw the car for real, because I thought it was a joke at first, I was like, 'I'm going to cry off this joke,'" Haddish said, visibly moved by the memory.

But it quickly became clear to her that the situation was probably going to call for just a little bit more cause for crying than a well-executed "gotcha!" joke might have. Because, as the actor continued on to tell ET, she quickly realized, "It's real!"

At this point during her interview, Haddish brought a glimmer of vulnerability to the table. In an effort to articulate what that moment felt like for her, Haddish got a little choked up. Albeit, only for a moment; but still, the slapstick comedy mastermind managed to turn the whole thing into a distinctly Haddish-made zinger. "Girl, I'm saying, I ain't even ovulating or nothing! My cycle ain't even on," she told the interviewer. So, why is Haddish still "emotional as hell," then? Because, as the actor put it during her conversation with ET, Perry's gift "is just the most amazing thing." Plain and simple.

And, in chronicling this particularly teary reaction to Perry's thoughtful gift, the actor also offered her own rationale about the psychology of crying, and shared her thoughts on why the gift conjured up such a strong emotional response in her. To that end, Haddish said, "You know, crying is nothing but a removal of old beliefs and the replacement of new ones," adding that, in this case, her newly-minted belief sounds a lot like, "'Oh, somebody would do something nice for you just because you are you.'"

And while fans might have a hard time understanding why anyone wouldn't want to do nice things for Haddish — just because she's herself — the actor went on to explain why Perry's unexpected act of kindness meant so much to her. And, after hearing her comments, it sounds like Haddish's insecurities about gift-giving and gift-receiving are probably ones that'll resonate with a lot of people. She told ET,

"I always had a belief that if someone wants to do something, I have to do like a thousand nice things. I have to be really nice for someone to want to do something nice for me."

Contrary to that particular belief, Perry gifted Haddish the Tesla with no conceivable strings in sight. "I just did my job at the best of my capacity," Haddish said, "and then for him to be that kind to me and not expect anything from me but what I've already given? That filled my whole heart up."

As heartwarming as Perry's gift to Haddish was in the first place, the actor's response to her brand-new, surprise Tesla definitely does its part to tug those heart strings pretty vigorously, too. Who else will be taking a note from Haddish's totally endearing, unbridled sincerity the next time an unexpected gift comes their way?