Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Tiffany New York Pollard isthereality-TV star.
GIF and meme queen.
The first true villain of the genre.
The show presented a new challenge: the great shark up against the squabbling pups she raised.
Im one of the OGs of the game, she tells Vulture.
Ive gotten to pave the way for a lot of things.
The genre, and, one could imagine, her life, has gotten a lot easier.
So,House of Villains.
You developed different relationships with people pretty quickly.
You started off strong hating Johnny Bananas.
You took in Corinne as the stray cat.
You ended up calling Jax a demon.
Were there any contestants who defied your expectations?
Who did you connect with the most?Its so funny because both directions point toward the same person.
I was definitely taken aback by how open Corinnes energy was toward me, straight off the bat.
She was really warm and open.
We actually just communicated three or four days ago.
Shes made me some beautiful custom pieces from her jewelry line.
Shes definitely a friend.
Was it weird then cause she definitely voted you off …We shared that personal space, being roommates.
It couldnt because she was the person I was spending most of my time with in the house.
And shed be like, Are you hungry?
Did you eat today?
Let me go get you food.
My goodness, youre going to stay up here and starve.
By the time I found out she voted me out, I was like,Should I be mad?
I better get mad.And then I was like,No, we had a good time.
How do you feel about being perceived as a villain?
Technically, I dont really think Im a villain.
I know Im not because I definitely have a heart somewhere in there.
But thats just one side of Tiff.
She has this other side as well.
If you know me, I have equal sides, sweet and spicy.
The quotes from this show are wild.
When you called Bananas a saber-tooth hammerhead bastard, that felt really nice.
You also called him an amphibian reptile motherfucker, which is like, okay, were crossing species.
Are you coming up with this shit on the fly?
If youre pissing me off in real time, Im going to say whatever is in my brain.
Its like a switch, it just turns on.
If I have to think of a read, its not going to come across.
Yo, you gave one to Omarosa that felt like it came from a really deep place.
I screamed when you called her a cocksucking cum-guzzling Republican cunt.Dont get it twisted.
The thing about Omarosa is she was deliberately playing on my top in that moment.
I could just feel her pushing me.
She wanted that read.
So I gave it to her.
If it wasI Love New York, I know what would definitely not make it in the edit.
But sometimes you should probably be unprotected in those situations to keep flexing your muscles.
Not knowing what things are going to be edited in or out, its like,you deserve that.
You have a name, you have a platform, and sometimes you cant take things super serious.
But does it deserve to be seen?
I mean, literally, you could go, guys, I need 45 minutes.
Im going to sleep.
This is your production and its about you.
Its a different kind of flex.
Im just excited to be a part of things likeHouse of Villainsbecause its what the fans want.
They get so excited:Oh man, Im so glad to see you back at it.
So youre going to be there regardless of the comfortability level.
Not saying youre not comfortable I mean, youre living in the mansion, youre doing whatever you want.
But its always good to have your own set.
Reality TV has evolved a lot since you first started.
Those needs need to be met.
Im one of the OGs in the game.
Ive gotten to pave the way for a lot of things.
They can help you out.
So I believe the genre itself has gotten a lot easier.
And back in the day, a lot of that fighting wasnt really encouraged.
Some of that stuff would just happen.
I cant really sit here and say I was in anybodys production who was pushing for that.
They werent saying, just go whoop Pumkins ass real fast.I had to look for her on my own!
But youre saying it felt different back then.Oh, absolutely.
You have to understand that this is not the only shoot the production companies or networks have going on.
They dont want us to create a situation where theres going to be liability.
If anything, theyre flying someone in to take you for a walk or out for a drink.
Theyre always looking to deescalate.
And I know that to be true back then.
Now, I think it depends on whose set youre on.
It was at the height of things for me and my career.
I had just gotten offFlavor of Loveand I went to Universal City Walk with my girlfriend.
This girl goes, I dont like New York.
I dont like how she is on that show.
And Im like, Sweetie, but youre watching it.
And she kind of gave me a look like, Oh my gosh, youre right.
They dont realize, hey, this is a competition situation.
My head game is a little bit different than if Im at Ralphs or Sephora, you know?
You feel like its calmed down more as your status within reality TV solidified?Absolutely.
And I love it.
Its not like theyre rushing up on me like in the beginning.
I like this little parlay between Hollywood Tiffany and regular Tiffany.
I get to walk the lines of both when I want.
In the house you said you dont really be watching reality shows now.
Was that shade or real?Lemme tell you, I love reality television.
I mean, thats always going to be my first go-to when I get the opportunity to watch television.
Now whats going on is that my attention span is changing.
I cant really sit there and watch too many shows all the way through.
I kept bits and pieces here and there of the highlights.
Or Im watching all episodes ofThe Twilight Zone.
It feels so different from where it started.
You parlayed reality tv into more talk show stuff, and I feel like thats a smart move.
Go and do it.
Do you stumble upon GIFs or memes of yourself?Oh, it hits different.
It feels so, so good, especially when its younger people.
Im surprised by the fact that they know me.
I get requested a lot on Cameo to wish a lot of 20- and 30-somethings, happy birthday.
Im not going to lie, that feels good.
The younger people are the pulse of the world.
When I get the meme sent to me, it keeps me circulating.
It keeps me relevant to the audience that would not otherwise know who I was.
