Why Tiffany Haddish Chose to Be Celibate: 'When You Lay Down with Somebody, You Are Sharing Your Soul'

Tiffany Haddish previously told PEOPLE she cut sex and alcohol out of her life following a November 2023 arrest for driving under the influence

Tiffany Haddish is expanding on her decision to embrace celibacy.

Haddish, 44, appeared on the most recent episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, during which Shetty remarked that he recently learned the actress and comedian has been celibate for the last several months.

"I mean, does kissing count?" Haddish responded. "I'm not being penetrated, that's for sure. No penetration."

The Girls Trip star said she started practicing celibacy back in October 2023 and stated that when it comes to her dating life, "I just don't wanna lay down with nobody, just anybody."

"I just feel like, dang, I am the prize and these dudes gotta qualify. When I think about my track record of like who I lay down with it, it takes like a year or so for me to even warm up," she said. "I mean, I love going to free dinners. I'll go on free dinner dates, I mean, not free dinner dates, but like, yeah, it's free for me. But it do cost me money to get, you know, cute and stuff and the gas in the car."

Haddish also stated that frequent exercise has helped her maintain that celibacy, after Shetty — a former monk — said he found celibate life difficult when he first tried it in the past. "It feels easy. I don't know, I've been working out a lot," she said. "So I feel like I get my sexual, like frustrations out in the workout." 

Related: Tiffany Haddish Gets Into Car Accident Just Before Taping Dax Shepard's Podcast: 'Trembling a Little'

Haddish, who is currently promoting her new book out May 7, I Curse You with Joy, said that her journey toward raising her standards in dating is a newer development in her life.

"What I've learned is when you're like laying down with people that's not really as ambitious as you are or comfortable in their skin or confident with who they are, or even just not even necessarily confident, just know who they are, it becomes a problem," she continued.

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"I think when you lay down with somebody, you are sharing your soul. You are sharing a piece of yourself, you're giving a little piece of yourself up," Haddish added. "I only got so much soul left and I don't wanna necessarily just give it over to anybody."

Related: Tiffany Haddish Reveals Fake Name She Uses on Social Media to Respond to Naysayers: 'I Get So Mad'

Haddish opened up about embracing celibate life alongside her sobriety while speaking with PEOPLE in April, noting that she stopped drinking after a DUI arrest in November 2023, the comedian's second.

"They went together," she said of eliminating both sex and alcohol at once. "With alcohol [my mind] would just be like ‘You’re horny, let's just do it.’" Now, she says, "I be like 'Nah, nope.' "

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