American comedian and actor Tiffany Haddish has spoken out in response to the child sexual abuse lawsuit filed against her and comedian Aries Spears.
According to Variety, she took to her Instagram handle and wrote, "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 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," she added.
The lawsuit was filed last week by an anonymous woman. It alleges that Haddish and Spears exploited Jane Doe, now 22, and her brother John Doe, now 14, in two comedy sketches filmed when they were children.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, the complaint alleges the woman and her younger brother were duped into participating in the skits as kids. The video featuring the brother, who according to the complaint was 7 at the time and was filmed in his underwear, was called 'Through a Pedophile's Eyes' The clip showed Spears' character lusting after the boy to the soundtrack of R. Kelly's 'Bump and Grind', and ends with the boy showing an interest in the man and the warning "watch who you leave your kids with."
Haddish is featured as the mom who repeatedly leaves her son alone with Spears for various reasons. Funny or Die, where the comedians' video had been posted, said it was removed in 2018 and called it "absolutely disgusting."
Variety reported that Haddish's attorney, Andrew Brettler, said in a statement to Vanity Fair that the plaintiff's mother, Trizah Morris, has "been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms Haddish for several years."
He continued: "Every attorney who has initially taken on her case -- and there were several -- ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms Haddish would not be shaken down. Now, Ms. Morris has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit. The two of them will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action."
The news comes as Haddish, a longtime comic whose career exploded with the 2017 release of 'Girls Trip', continues to be an in-demand star.
( With inputs from ANI )
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