Update: 9/21 at 11:48 a.m. ET
On Tuesday, September 20, a woman identified only as Jane Doe filed a request to dismiss her claim that Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears coerced her and her brother, identified as John Doe, into recording sexually explicit skits on camera when they were minors.
“We are glad that we can all put this behind us,” the woman said in a statement to TMZ after filing the request. “My family and I have known Tiffany Haddish for many years — and we now know that she would never harm me or my brother or help anyone else do anything that could harm us.”
Original story continues below:
Serious allegations. Tiffany Haddish was accused of child sexual abuse in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, August 31.
“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,” the standup comedian wrote via Instagram on September 5.
The suit alleges that Haddish and comedian Aries Spears encouraged two plaintiffs — siblings identified only as Jane and John Doe — to perform sexually suggestive acts on camera while underage.
According to The Daily Beast, the complaint claims that Haddish, a friend of the plaintiffs’ mother, recruited Jane, then 14, for a commercial in which she was instructed to simulate fellatio on a sandwich. The lawsuit alleges that Haddish demonstrated to the minor how to perform the oral sex act.
Jane, now 22, told The Daily Beast earlier this month, “At that point, I knew a hundred percent what they wanted out of me. I tried to mimic what they wanted me to mimic, but it still came out just super uncomfortable.”
Per the lawsuit, the Girls Trip actress and Spears also recruited Jane’s then-7-year-old brother, identified as John, to film a video one year later. The short, titled “The Mind of a Pedophile,” was posted on Funny or Die.
Haddish addressed her involvement in the creation of the sketch via Instagram on September 5.
“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,” the Last Black Unicorn author, who played the young boy’s guardian in the video, wrote.
The California native’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, dismissed the allegations against his client in a statement to The Los Angeles Times.
“Plaintiff’s mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years. 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,” he said. “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.”
An attorney for Spears, Debra Opri, told the outlet that her client “isn’t going to fall for any shakedown.”
Scroll through for everything to know about the allegations and the ongoing case:
Haddish and Spears have been accused of recruiting siblings identified as Jane and John Doe to perform sexually suggestive acts on camera when they were underage According to The Daily Beast, the lawsuit accuses both comedians of infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence, sexual battery, sexual harassment and sexual abuse of a minor. Haddish’s attorney dismissed the accusations as “bogus claims” in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. Earl Gibson III/Shutterstock
The Carmichael Show alum appeared in a skit with Spears and then-7-year-old John called “Mind of a Pedophile” which was uploaded to Funny or Die. A representative for the comedy website told The Daily Beast in a statement, "Funny Or Die found this video absolutely disgusting and would never produce such content. We were not involved with the conceptualization, development, funding, or production of this video. It was uploaded to the site as user-generated content and was removed in 2018 immediately after becoming aware of its existence.” According to The Daily Beast, Spears played a pedophile in the sketch, which contains sexually suggestive footage of John. Haddish portrayed the boy's guardian. Alberto Rodriguez/Shutterstock
The Emmy winner addressed the allegations via social media, writing, “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.” She added: “I look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can.” Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
On September 21, the woman identified as Jane filed a request to dismiss her claim with prejudice, meaning she cannot file the complaint again. According to NBC News, the first page of the motion did not state a reason for the dismissal request. "My family and I have known Tiffany Haddish for many years — and we now know that she would never harm me or my brother or help anyone else do anything that could harm us," Jane said in a statement to TMZ after filing the motion. Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA
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