Source: Art By Otherworld Rio
It was the hawk of spit heard around the world.
On a 2006 episode of Vh1’s Flavor of Love, Flavor Flav had three women vying for his “Yea boy!” romance and the massive clocks that symbolized his affection. Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander got a clock, Tiffany “New York” Pollard was about to get a clock, but Brooke “Pumpkin” Thompson was left in the dust. When Pumpkin pointed out that she could now slap her archenemy New York because she was leaving, New York simply dared her:
“Slap me b****!”
Pumpkin responded with a wad of spit aimed straight at New York’s face. Of course, New York pushed Pumpkin with the speed of a cheetah into the nearest cameraman, and she forever cemented her status in reality TV history. But to relegate her career to this one moment would be an understatement.
New York was giving us iconic lines that were aimed at female adversaries — searing jabs like “You look like a fairy princess…who resides over the pits of hell” or strong words of wisdom like “You should have sat there and ate your food.”
New York would eventually lead her own Vh1 spinoff shows including I Love New York, where men fought for her affection, and New York Goes to Work, which had New York hilariously taking on jobs that we all knew she was under-qualified to handle.
But even before her solo moments, New York was giving us iconic lines that were aimed at female adversaries — searing jabs like “You look like a fairy princess…who resides over the pits of hell” or strong words of wisdom like “You should have sat there and ate your food.” She was the ultimate villain, but it was hard not to love it all.
After her classic era on Vh1, New York would take a few years off from the public spotlight. But she returned with a vengeance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016. Her dramatic meltdown after wrongfully assuming a housemate had died would end up going viral and once again, she solidified herself in reality TV history.
New York would return to Vh1 in 2016 as a cast member on Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn. She even snagged her own Vh1 digital series, Brunch With Tiffany, where she hilariously interviewed people like Sheryl Lee Ralph, Charlamagne Tha God, and Sky from Black Ink Crew.
Nowadays, New York continues to bring viral moments thanks to bizarre interviews with people like Jesse Lee Peterson, and she’s now getting paid her respect with whole exhibits being erected in her honor.
And to think, it all started with an oversized clock and a christening from Flavor Flav.
Source: Creative Services / Getty
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