Tiffany Haddish says she 'deeply regrets' doing skit at center of child sex abuse lawsuit

Tiffany Haddish is voicing her "regret" over acting in a skit at the center of a lawsuit filed against her and fellow comedian Aries Spears that alleges sexual battery, sexual harassment and sexual abuse of a minor.

On Monday, Haddish wrote on Instagram that there's "very little that I can say right now," given the ongoing case.

She added, "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."

A 22-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe filed suit Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of her brother, a minor born in 2007 identified as John Doe, who is under her legal guardianship. The suit alleges the woman and her brother were assaulted by Haddish and Spears in LA when both were minors.

Tiffany Haddish, Aries Spears sued for child sex abuse: Actress' lawyer calls claims 'bogus'

The suit cites Haddish as a "longtime family friend" of Jane and John Doe's mother. It describes several instances of grooming and molestation, including a "Funny or Die" project about eight years ago which the suit calls a "soft porn molestation video of Mr. Doe." The suit claims the skit was available on the company's online platforms until last May.

"I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can," Haddish wrote in her Instagram post.

Haddish's attorney initially dismissed the allegations as "bogus."

"Plaintiff's mother … has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years," Haddish's lawyer Andrew Brettler said in a statement shared Friday with USA TODAY. "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."

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Spears’ attorney Debra Opri said the comedian "isn't going to fall for any shakedown" in a statement to USA TODAY on Friday.

"'Funny or Die' found this video absolutely disgusting and would never produce such content," the company said in statement provided to USA TODAY Friday. "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."

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege Haddish brought Jane Doe to a "sexually suggestive" sandwich commercial shoot in the summer of 2013, during which Jane Doe said Haddish and Spears coached her on how to mimic oral sex.

Another claim alleges Haddish offered to film clips of John Doe for an audition reel for Nickelodeon the following summer, during which Haddish took him to Spears' home and the two "stripped the child down to his underwear" for a video titled "Through a Pedophile's Eyes." This video appeared on "Funny or Die."

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John and Jane Doe have lasting trauma from their experiences, the lawsuit claims: Both have social disorders and John Doe struggles with anxiety and depression.

"The plaintiffs are both traumatized for life" as a result of Haddish's and Spears' actions, the lawsuit alleges, later adding: "Similar to the manner in which Giselle (sic) Maxwell groomed young girls for Jeffrey Epstein, upon information and belief, Haddish made Plaintiff Jane Doe feel comfortable and special, but this was all a grooming tactic by Haddish to entice and coerce both children into filming sexually explicit child pornography skits."

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs' mother previously attempted to work out a $15,000 settlement with Spears over the video of John Doe but was unsuccessful due to her "mental state" and a few missteps in the legal process.

The suit does not specify the monetary value the plaintiffs are seeking.

Haddish rose to fame after her 2017 role in "Girls Trip" and has since starred in a slew of films, TV shows and comedy specials. Spears is a writer and comedian who holds the record for second-longest running cast member on the sketch comedy show "MADtv." He recently came under fire for making body-shaming comments about Lizzo.

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Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiffany Haddish addresses child sex abuse lawsuit, 'regrets' sketch