Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears are being sued by a woman alleging the comedians “groomed” and “molested” her and her brother when they were children. Atlanta Black Star obtained a copy of the 31-page suit, which was filed pro se on Aug. 30 in Los Angeles, where the woman identified as 22-year-old Jane Doe details the alleged incidents that occurred in 2013 and 2014.
Haddish, a longtime family friend of Ms. Doe’s mother, is accused of abusing the mother and siblings’ trust by knowingly having them participate in inappropriate and “pornagrahpic” skits. Mrs. Doe, who was 14 at the time, says she was enrolled in a comedy bootcamp for minors at The Laugh Factory when Haddish approached her about an opportunity to film a skit.
The woman alleges Haddish picked her up, drove her to a Hollywood studio, and had her reenact a scene where she was forced to eat a sandwich in a sexually suggestive manner. Ms. Doe says she was uncomfortable with the task that required her to moan but was coached by Haddish on how to simulate the act of performing fellatio. After the scene, Haddish took the child back home and paid her $100 cash for the day.
“Haddish knew the child was under 18 and sexually exploited Plaintiff Jane Doe for profit and likes on social media,” states the suit. A second incident involved Ms. Doe’s brother who was seven at the time. In the filing, Haddish is accused of picking up Ms. Doe and her brother, who is identified as 14-year-old John Doe, and taking them to Spears’ home, where the boy was asked to film a skit. The mother allowed “Girls Trip” actor to take her children under the impression that Mr. Doe would be filming scenes for a sizzle reel that could be presented to Nickelodeon.
Once at Spears’ home, the children were separated. Mr. Doe, then 7 years old, was stripped down to his underwear and told to act out various scenes for the “Through a Pedophile’s Eyes” skit. In it, the boy is seen playing with a toy train in a manner that simulates masturbation while on the floor as Spears leers at him through holes in a newspaper. At one point, Spears even rubs baby oil on the boy’s back and shoulders.
In another scene, the child is in a bathtub when a fully clothed Spears joins him. In the end, the roles are reversed. The boy is then seeing looking at the “Mad TV” actor who is sitting at a table in a pair of shorts when he is approached by the boy for a rub down with baby oil. He was paid $100 for the day and he and sister were returned home by Haddish.
In the suit, Mr. Doe says the experience left him in tears, unconsolable and uncomfortable. The video was reportedly uploaded to the comedy site Funny or Die in 2014, despite the mother being told that footage from that day was not salvageable. The video was not removed from the site until May 2021. Both Ms. and Mr. Doe state they live reclusive lives and suffer from social anxiety and concerns of being taken advantage of. Their mother has also suffered “mental turmoil” for years after learning of the activities her children were coerced to participate in.
In a letter, Mr. Doe detailed the lasting impact the alleged molestation has had on his life. “I don’t got no friends, I don’t trust nobody, I’m scared of adults, I refuse to be recorded or take pictures because I am scared of weird-ass adults trying to do nasty stuff to me again,” he wrote.
His letter continued, “Now that I am older, I understand that it was not my fault and that I am not gay just because they were on some gay s**t. I hate my life I hate that I don’t got no friends, I don’t do video chat, I don’t go anywhere because I don’t want nobody to say I’m the gay boy in the video because I am not gay. Tiffany friend gay and he like little boys.”
In July 2018, the mother reached a $15,000 settlement with Spears for the alleged molestation of her son. “The settlement release and confidentiality agreement have no binding legal effect on either Haddish or the two minor children,” the filing states. According to CNN, legal representatives for Haddish and Spears have called the resurfaced accusations “bogus” and an attempt at a “shakedown.”
In the complaint, the following damages are listed: Intentional infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence, negligence supervision or failure to warn, breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud, sexual battery, sexual harassment, sexual abuse of a minor. The siblings are asking that Haddish and Spears be held responsible for costs of the suit, interest allowed by law, attorney fees, past and future damages, and statutory damages. A trial by jury has also been requested.
