There’s been a lot of talk about Tiffany Haddish and comedian Aries Spears this week after a lawsuit dropped accusing the two of grooming and molestation. The allegations stemmed from working with minors on a sketch comedy skit that later was posted on Funny or Die. (Though Funny or Die made it clear they were not associated with getting the skit made, calling it “absolutely disgusting.”) Now Spears has broken his silence about the legalities coming up.
Aries Spears is ½ of a duo that hosts the “Spears & Steinberg” podcast. The comedian dropped a teaser for the episode on social media in which he and his podcast partner, Andy Steinberg, spoke out about their respective weeks. Andy wasn’t doing too badly, but Spears obviously felt he needed to address the elephant in the room, and did so:
Listen, obviously for legal reasons, I really can’t talk about anything at this time. But I just more or less want to say to all the loyal listeners thank you guys for your support and your love. Listen: This is an extortion case.
His comments echoed that of the other celebrity named in the lawsuit, Tiffany Haddish, who previously said she was “relieved” this video and lawsuit had finally come to fruition, as she notes she was “tired of being extorted” over the comedy sketch. You can see Aries Spears’ full comments below.
How Tiffany Haddish Has Responded To The Grooming Lawsuit
Tiffany Haddish has spoken out about the lawsuit that came down the pipeline as well, and she has towed a similar line to what Aries Spears said in his comments. But Haddish did get candid about having “deep regret” for what went down in the sketch and what came after.
I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now. But clearly, while this sketch was intended to comedic, it wasn’t funny at all — and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look feared to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can.
When the lawsuit was filed, it contended that two individuals known as Jane Doe (22) and John Doe (reportedly 15) were “groomed” into “filming sexually graphic child pornography skits.” Tiffany Haddish’s lawyer Andrew Brettler has named the mother in the lawsuit, Trizah Morris, and has said that she has “been trying to assert these bogus claims for years.” He also mentioned this had previously come up with other lawyers, all of whom had previously dropped the case before it became the suit that we heard about in the last few days.
Haddish has been having a seemingly tough year after breaking up with her partner Common at the end of 2021 and getting candid about a subsequent DUI. Haddish’s best movies aren’t behind her or anything, as she has plenty of projects coming up, including The Haunted Mansion movie. Still, this lawsuit is seemingly coming during a time of transition for the actress.
More details related to this case will likely come out in the weeks to follow, though lawsuits such as this one often settle without making it into the courtroom. (The Amber Heard and Johnny Depp courtroom and unsealed documents brouhaha was an outlier.) We’ll keep you updated either way.