Tiffany Haddish is speaking out after accusations of inappropriate behavior with two underage children. Earlier this month, both the comedian and fellow comedian Aries Spears were charged with sexual assault based on a Funny or Die sketch in 2013. Haddish and Spears are being sued by a 22-year-old woman, identifying herself as Jane Doe, on behalf of herself and her younger brother, John Doe, who claim to have been "groomed" by Haddish, leaving them both "traumatized for life." Here's why.
According to the plaintiff, Haddish was a "longtime family friend" of her mother's. When she was 14 years old, she went with the comedian to a taping of a "sexually suggestive Subway commercial." According to Jane Doe, Haddish told her doing this would be her way to get on TV, and she would be later added to her film reel. However, during the taping, Jane Doe claims Haddish instructed her how to perform inappropriate sex acts. The young girl claimed the actress coerced her to participate in other sexually explicit skits and that her 7-year-old brother was also involved. According to the plaintiff, while Haddish and Spears filmed the sketch, "Through a Pedophile's Eyes," John Doe was taken into a room alone, where Spears was inappropriate with the then seven-year-old.
The lawsuit stated "there was no parent or guardian present," and the minors "were incapable of consenting to participate in sexually graphic videos distributed and published via Funny or Dies Platform." Funny or Die later commented on the situation, stating they found the video "absolutely disgusting" and that they would never have produced such content, claiming absolutely no responsibility for the video.
Sponsored
In the midst of all the allegations, Haddish has finally addressed the situation via her Instagram. "I know people have a bunch of questions," she wrote. "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 be comedic, it wasn't funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can." Her lawyer has dismissed the lawsuit claiming it was an attempt to extort money from his client, so stay tuned for more updates.
