Days after an anonymous woman sued Tiffany Haddish for allegedly grooming her and her brother while they filmed sexually suggestive sketches in 2013 and 2014 when they were minors, the “Girls Trip” comedian said she regrets making one of the projects.
“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,” Haddish, 42, wrote on Instagram Monday.
“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.”
According to a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court against Haddish and comedy partner Aries Spears, Jane Doe, whose mother is a “longtime friend” of Haddish, was 14 when she attended a 2013 comedy camp where Haddish was a guest speaker. There, Haddish allegedly told the girl that she had “a perfect role for her.”
Haddish drove Jane Doe to a studio where she and Spears showed the teen a video of an older man and a younger woman eating a sandwich while “moaning and making sexual noises as they both ate the sandwich in a manner that simulated the act of fellatio,” according to the lawsuit, obtained by the Daily Beast.
Spears told Jane Doe to recreate the actions and sounds and, when she didn’t, Haddish then explained how to do so, “including movements, noises, moaning and groaning,” the lawsuit alleges.
Jane Doe claims she obliged and was paid $100.
A year later, in the summer of 2014, Haddish “offered to book, arrange, and film” Jane Doe’s younger brother, identified only as John Doe, for a Nickelodeon sizzle reel at Spears’ home, according to the lawsuit.
There, Spears allegedly molested the 7-year-old boy as part of a video called “Through A Pedophile’s Eyes.” He also allegedly gave John Doe a drink that made him “sleepy.”
The video was uploaded as user-generated content to comedy website Funny or Die, which said it removed the clip in 2018 “immediately after becoming aware of its existence.”
“The plaintiffs were both minors and were incapable of consenting to participate in sexually graphic videos distributed and published via ‘Funny or Die’s’ platform,” the lawsuit reads. “There was no parent or guardian present.”
Lawyers for Haddish and Spears separately accused Jane Doe, who is representing herself and her brother, of a “shakedown.”
