Aries Spears calls child sexual abuse lawsuit 'extortion'

A man in a black T-shirt speaking and gesturing with his hands

Published Sept. 8, 2022 Updated Sept. 9, 2022 6:49 PM PT

Aries Spears has personally denied the child sexual abuse allegations leveled against him and fellow comic Tiffany Haddish.

During Wednesday’s episode of his podcast with Andy Steinberg, the comedian dismissed the child sexual abuse lawsuit against him as an “extortion case” and a “shakedown.” Last week, a woman filed a pro-se complaint accusing Spears and Haddish of grooming and molesting her (referred to as Jane Doe in the complaint) and her brother (John Doe) when they were 14 and 7, respectively.

Before Jane Doe filed the lawsuit, her mother reported Spears and Haddish’s alleged crimes to police in Las Vegas, who transferred the case to the LAPD, according to Jane Doe.

“Obviously, for legal reasons ... I really can’t talk about anything at this time,” Spears said. “To all the loyal listeners, all my fans, very few friends that I have ... thank you guys for your support and your love. I will certainly remember you and make sure you all get invited to the all-white yacht party with the bevy of b— that I keep talking about. ... We won’t be shaken down.”

“And believe me, it’s bothering me not to talk about the skit,” he continued. “There’s some very valid things I feel like I have to say or want to say but just can’t at this time. And I’m no coward. I’m not running from anything, and I’m not guilty of anything. ... I would love to address it head-on ... because I’m a fighter. I’m not a runner.”

Though he stopped short of naming his accusers, Spears called Jane Doe’s mother a “b—” and a “huge scammer” with a “history of ... false accusations.” He also added that “the Lizzo thing” — referring to the widespread criticism he received for body-shaming the “About Damn Time” singer — “didn’t help” his image either.

“I’m having a bad week,” he admitted. “But it be what it be.”

In a statement provided Thursday to The Times, Jane Doe refuted Spears’ remarks about her mother, “a social worker and community activist” who “has helped thousands of families overcome domestic violence.” The plaintiff claimed that Haddish “grooms children to love and trust her and brings them to [Spears] to violate them.”

Jane Doe also noted that she and her brother are not the “only victims” of Spears and Haddish’s alleged “sexual deviant behavior,” going so far as to compare the entertainers to convicted child sex traffickers Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

“I wonder what they will have to say once the other victims come forward with their story and their photos,” Jane Doe said. “Aries complained of having a bad week. Because [of] him we have been living a bad life.”

Haddish’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, responded to The Times’ request for comment after this story was initially published.

“Without any support or factual basis whatsoever, Jane Doe has falsely accused Ms. Haddish of despicable criminal conduct,” Brettler wrote in a statement emailed Thursday night. “Jane Doe’s reckless assertion that she and her brother are not Ms. Haddish’s ‘only victims’ is not only false, but also is evidence of constitutional malice, as it appears that Jane Doe and/or her advisors behind the scenes completely invented that claim for the sole purpose of causing harm to Ms. Haddish.”

Brettler added that “drawing a parallel between Ms. Haddish and Ghislaine Maxwell is beyond the pale.”

An attorney for Spears did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.

On Monday, Jane Doe submitted a letter to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Haddish and Spears. In her missive, she accused the LAPD of sidelining her case and urged the D.A.’s office to use its “jurisdictional powers and resources to tackle and end the ... depravity committed by Haddish and Spears.”

Shortly after the allegations surfaced, Haddish said on Instagram that she “deeply” regrets participating in a sketch that was “intended to be comedic” but ultimately “wasn’t funny at all.”

In court documents, Jane Doe describes two comedy sketches: one for which Haddish allegedly encouraged a 14-year-old Jane Doe to mimic the motions of fellatio and another that depicts Spears “lusting over” John Doe while the 7-year-old is in his underwear and Haddish is offscreen.

“I know people have a bunch of questions,” Haddish wrote last week.

“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. ... I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can.”

In a statement provided to The Times, Jane Doe criticized Haddish’s “meager attempt at shifting responsibility solely onto” Spears.

“Tiffany did not acknowledge the fact that she intentionally lied to our mother by telling her that my brother would be filming a Nickelodeon sizzle reel, when in fact her real intention was to isolate him and molest him with Aries Spears,” Jane Doe added. “We are not going to stop until we receive justice.”

‘I’m having a bad week’: Aries Spears brushes off child sexual abuse allegations

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