Comedians Tiffany Haddish, Aries Spears accused of child sexual abuse

Comedians Tiffany Haddish, Aries Spears sued, accused of child sexual abuse, grooming

Tinseltown/Shutterstock | Kevin Edwards

Editor’s note: This article mentions and discusses child sexual abuse, molestation, and grooming in graphic detail.

Actor-comedian Tiffany Haddish and former MadTV comedian Aries Spears have been sued for allegedly grooming and molesting two siblings when both of them were minors.

Jane Doe, 22, and John Doe, 15, allege that the stars made them perform “inappropriate and sexually suggestive acts” on camera for sketches when they were 14 and seven, respectively.

A Daily Beast exclusive about the case dropped on Thursday night. Since then, Haddish’s lawyer has come out and called the claims “bogus,” adding that the victims’ mother, identified as Trizah Morris, has been trying to do this for several years.

Exclusive: Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears accused of child sexual abuse https://t.co/VJBKpOTXKe

— Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) September 1, 2022

The Tuca & Bertie star allegedly called the children her niece and nephew and shared a friendship with their mother. The lawsuit states the molestation occurred in 2013.

Jane Doe joined a comedy camp where Tiffany Haddish allegedly told her she had found “a perfect role” for her. After this, the child was made to watch a video of two people eating a sandwich in a sexually suggestive way.

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According to the lawsuit, the characters in the video were “moaning and making sexual noises as they both ate the sandwich in a manner that simulated the act of fellatio” and Haddish told Jane Doe to mimic what she had seen onscreen, including the noises, for her own commercial. Spears was there the whole time.

Jane Doe told The Daily Beast she attempted what was asked of her, and that the performance came out “super uncomfortable,” after which she was sent home with $100.

A year after the incident, Haddish approached the children’s mother to recruit seven-year-old John Doe for a Nickelodeon sizzle reel. Haddish was granted permission by Morris, who trusted her deeply.

Instead of a Nickelodeon reel, the lawsuit states John Doe was put into a Funny or Die sketch called “Through a Pedophile’s Eyes.” The details of the shoot are bone-chilling.

The camera panned on John Doe’s crotch and buttocks as he played in a park, while Spears, who played the role of a pedophile, watched him, and massaged his bare skin with baby oil suggestively. He also smoked a cigarette while the child sat nude in a bathtub.

According to the suit, John Doe was so disturbed, the trauma of the event apparently lingers to this day. He called his mother crying, saying he did not want to film anymore. When asked what happened, Haddish allegedly told John’s mother that acting “wasn’t for him.”

Both the victims apparently suffered debilitating long-lasting effects and have not been able to socialize normally since. Jane Doe say she does not date, have sex, and do other things ordinary 22-year-olds do. For years, she has experienced crushing guilt for not being able to protect her brother.

Haddish and Spears have been formally accused of sexual harassment, sexual battery, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and sexual abuse of a minor, according to court documents.

The Daily Beast reports that Haddish has additional accusations of negligent supervision, constructive fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty, and that the lawsuit “seeks general and special damages, as well as ‘any appropriate statutory damages.'”

“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,” Haddish’s lawyer told People.

Currently, Jane Doe is the primary plaintiff in the case. She’s also the legal guardian of her brother.