Tiffany Haddish spotted for first time after sexual abuse lawsuit against her is dropped

Tiffany Haddis was seen out in public late on Tuesday night for the first time after a lawsuit accusing her and comedian Aries Spears of sexual abuse was dropped.

The 42-year-old Girls Trip star was spotted heading to a party in Los Angeles that was thrown by Jack Harlow while accompanied by her old pal Jaleel White, 45, best known for playing Steve Urkel on the sitcom Family Matters.

The outing came just a day before she revealed to TMZ that all of her work offers had been canceled or dried up due to the now-dismissed suit.

Letting loose: Tiffany Haddish, 42, was seen on Tuesday night for the first time since a lawsuit accusing her of sexual abuse was dropped. She was spotted heading to a party thrown by Jack Harlow

Tiffany stood out against the night sky with her close-cropped platinum blond hair, which was styled in shallow waves.

She was covered up in a chic jumpsuit decorated with a mottled black-and-rust color scheme. 

The outfit was decorated with breast pockets and epaulets on her shoulders, and she left the top few buttons undone to show some skin.

The comedian also accessorized with an Apple watch and a small black leather handbag in the shape of a heart, which she unzipped as she headed toward the late-night bash. 

She completed her casual look with short black boots. 

Walking by her side was a man in a blue sweatshirt, black track pants and bright green trainers, along with a set of pricy Apple AirPods Max headphones strapped around his torso. 

Tiffany looked relaxed going into the party, but she struck a more somber tone on Wednesday, when TMZ caught her at LAX as she prepared to fly out of Los Angeles. 

Suited up: She wore a chic black-and-rust jumpsuit with short black boots and a tiny heart-shaped handbag, while sporting platinum blond hair

Suited up: She wore a chic black-and-rust jumpsuit with short black boots and a tiny heart-shaped handbag, while sporting platinum blond hair

She said she was ‘relieved’ that the lawsuit had been dropped, and noted that she ‘was concerned about the kids’ more than anything else, presumably referring to the plaintiffs, who were 14 and seven when they claimed they had been abused by Tiffany and Aries, whom Tiffany said she no longer talks to.

‘If there is somebody else [with a new lawsuit], that s*** fake,’ she added defiantly.

Her mood seemed to plummet inside the airport when another videographer asked if her career suffered due to the allegations. 

‘Oh, I lost everything,’ Tiffany said. ‘All my gigs gone, everything’s gone.’

Although the interview suggested that the opportunities might come back now that the lawsuit was gone, she didn’t sound especially optimistic. 

‘I don’t have no job, bro,’ she said before heading into another room. It’s unclear the extent of her alleged job losses, as she was reported to be returning for the second season of her acclaimed AppleTV+ series The Afterparty.

Tiffany was also seen standing behind Jaleel, who stood out in a denim jacket decorated with the cover design of Jimi Hendrix’s classic sophomore album Axis: Bold as Love (1967).

Old pal: Joining her on the way to the party was Jaleel White, best known for playing Steve Urkel on Family Matters. He wore a Jimi Hendrix–themed denim jacket

Old pal: Joining her on the way to the party was Jaleel White, best known for playing Steve Urkel on Family Matters. He wore a Jimi Hendrix–themed denim jacket

From infatuation to friendship: Tiffany previously confessed that Jaleel was her celebrity crush when she was growing up. He was seen in 2016 supporting her and Jerrod Carmichael at a comedy show

From infatuation to friendship: Tiffany previously confessed that Jaleel was her celebrity crush when she was growing up. He was seen in 2016 supporting her and Jerrod Carmichael at a comedy show

He wore a red graphic T-shirt under it, along with black jeans, and he grinned while covering up with a Jimmy Kimmel Live! trucker hat.

His relationship to Tiffany goes back to even before he met her. In a 2018 video interview with W Magazine, Tiffany revealed that her ‘celebrity crush growing up’ was Jaleel’s famous character.

‘Steve Urkel has the same kind of resilient spirit that I have,’ she said, while also joking about how he was the only other Black man to have his own cereal besides Mr. T.

In a Goggler interview from January of this year focused on her Apple TV+ series The Afterparty, Tiffany also defended Jaleel and his instantly identifiable character, who was referenced with a line in the show. 

‘I don’t like when people talk bad about Jaleel White. I just got an issue with that,’ she declared. 

‘I don’t like that because he was a character that was on TV at a time when they were not showing Black men in a way where they were smart,’ she continued before sharing how inspired she was by Urkel at the time.

She and her one-time celebrity crash eventually became pals, and a 2016 tweet from the iconic Hollywood comedy club The Laugh Factory revealed that Jaleel had dropped by at a show ‘to support Tiffany Haddish and Jerrod Carmichael.’

Moving on: A woman accusing Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears of sexually abusing her and her brother when they were 14 and seven, respectively, withdrew her lawsuit, according to documents obtained by TMZ; seen August 2

On tape: She claimed they filmed sexually suggestive comedy sketches; Spears een in 2020

Moving on: A woman accusing Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears of sexually abusing her and her brother when they were 14 and seven, respectively, withdrew her lawsuit this week, according to documents obtained Tuesday by TMZ. She claimed they filmed sexually suggestive comedy sketches

Tiffany appeared to be ready to unwind with a party after getting some good news when the anonymous woman who accused her and Aries Spears of sexually abusing her withdrew her lawsuit against the two earlier this week.

The 22-year-old woman asked the judge overseeing the case to withdraw her lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled, according to court documents obtained by TMZ on Tuesday. 

The former plaintiff, referred to only as Jane Doe, had originally sued the 42-year-old Girls Trip star and the 47-year-old former MADtv fixture for allegedly grooming her and her younger brother when they were 14 and seven, respectively.

DailyMail.com has reached out to a representative for Haddish for comment. 

After withdrawing her lawsuit, the woman issued a statement.

‘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,’ she wrote. ‘We wish Tiffany the best and are glad that we can all put this behind us.’

Notably, Spears was not mentioned at all in the statement, though both appear to be in the clear.  

Permanent: The woman asked a judge to withdraw her lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled in the future; Haddish seen in July in San Diego

Permanent: The woman asked a judge to withdraw her lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled in the future; Haddish seen in July in San Diego

Previously, the accuser had called on the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to ‘immediately arrest and prosecute’ the celebrities.

The reason for her change of heart after making such disturbing claims were not immediately known. 

In her lawsuit accusing the comics of abuse, the anonymous woman said that one of the sketches the group filmed was titled Through a Pedophile’s Eyes.

The woman and her brother — John Doe — said they were forced to participate in sexually suggested acts on camera, which left them with crippling emotional scars they are still dealing with today. 

In addition to filing the lawsuit, Jane Doe sent a letter to the Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, accusing authorities of doing nothing about the case in the nearly two years since it was reported by their mother to the Las Vegas Police in January 2020, according to The Daily Beast.

In the letter, Jane Doe alleged Haddish and Spears were mentioned by name in the initial complaint, and that the LVPD transferred the case to the Los Angeles Police Department, but that the LAPD officer assigned to it ‘has done nothing with this complaint.’

Speaking out: '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,' she wrote in a statement that didn't mention Spears. 'We wish Tiffany the best and are glad that we can all put this behind us'

Speaking out: ‘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,’ she wrote in a statement that didn’t mention Spears. ‘We wish Tiffany the best and are glad that we can all put this behind us’

‘This matter’s breadth and complexity require your jurisdictional powers and resources to tackle and end the stream depravity committed by Haddish and Spears,’ the letter continued, ‘My brother and I are prepared to speak with investigators and prosecutors from your office and provide you with irrefutable evidence that substantiates our allegations.’

Earlier in September, Haddish acknowledged her participation in the sketches, saying in a statement on her Instagram page from earlier this month that they were intended to be ‘comedic,’ but ‘it wasn’t funny at all.’ 

It was a change in tone after her attorney previously called the allegations ‘bogus claims.’

Attorneys for Spears, 47, told the Washington Post that he ‘Isn’t going to fall for any shakedown.’

Mum's the word: Though Haddish acknowledged the videos and voiced regret about them, she said she could not provide details as the case was ongoing; seen August 2 in Hollywood

Mum’s the word: Though Haddish acknowledged the videos and voiced regret about them, she said she could not provide details as the case was ongoing; seen August 2 in Hollywood

Claims: Haddish was alleged to have brought the boy to a home where she and Spears molested him while filming a Funny or Die video titled Through A Pedophiles Eyes; seen in May in Philadelphia

Claims: Haddish was alleged to have brought the boy to a home where she and Spears molested him while filming a Funny or Die video titled Through A Pedophiles Eyes; seen in May in Philadelphia

Jane and John Doe allege that their mother was friends with Haddish, who recruited them to participate in the videos.

Jane said in 2013 that she agreed to partake in a video in which Spears asked her to mimic a video of women eating a sub sandwich in a suggestive manner, noises and all. When Jane did not do as she was told, she said Haddish joined in and instructed her on ‘how to give fellatio, including movements, noises, moaning, and groaning,’ according to the complaint.

The complaint stated that the experience left her scarred and fearful and unable to trust anybody ever since.

‘Plaintiff Jane Doe is 22 years of age now and has never dated,’ the lawsuit read. ‘She is scared that she will be taken advantage of again and led down a path of false trust like the path that Haddish led her down.’

The complaint alleged that her brother participated in a sketch video a year later at Spears’ home. This was the video titled The Mind Of A Pedophile, and it depicted John Doe as a seven-year-old left alone with a pedophilic babysitter played by Spears. 

According to The Daily Beast, John wore only his underwear throughout the video, and Spears rubbed baby oil on his body. By the end of the video, Spears was reportedly shirtless and received a massage from John.

John Doe now claims to be afraid of being watched or recorded, to the extent that he puts ‘band-aids over all the cameras on his electronics,’ and has lived an isolated life since the video.

‘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-a** adults trying to do nasty stuff to me again,’ he wrote in the complaint. ‘I spend all of my time in my room and do not go anywhere because I don’t trust anybody.’

Missed the mark: In a statement posted to her Instagram earlier this month, Haddish said the skits were intended to be 'comedic,' but 'it wasn't funny at all.'

Missed the mark: In a statement posted to her Instagram earlier this month, Haddish said the skits were intended to be ‘comedic,’ but ‘it wasn’t funny at all.’

Doe filed the lawsuit pro se, meaning she will is representing herself in the case.  

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Haddish’ attorney Andrew Brettler said Doe’s accusations were ‘bogus’ and that a host of attorneys who had considered taking the case agreed.   

‘Plaintiff’s mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years,’ he said, ‘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.’

‘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.’

On defense: In a statement to DailyMail.com, Haddish' attorney Andrew Brettler said Doe's accusations were 'bogus' and that a host of attorneys who had considered taking the case agreed; seen in April in Las Vegas

On defense: In a statement to DailyMail.com, Haddish’ attorney Andrew Brettler said Doe’s accusations were ‘bogus’ and that a host of attorneys who had considered taking the case agreed; seen in April in Las Vegas

Fighting back: Attorneys for Spears, 47, told the Washington Post that he 'Isn't going to fall for any shakedown'; seen in 2020 in New Jersey

Fighting back: Attorneys for Spears, 47, told the Washington Post that he ‘Isn’t going to fall for any shakedown’; seen in 2020 in New Jersey

Though Haddish acknowledged the videos and voiced regret about them, she said she could not provide details, as the case was ongoing. 

‘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. 

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

The siblings also said that their mother previously tried to reach a $15,000 settlement with Spears over the alleged molestation video.

Their mother alleges in a statement  to The Daily Beast that she met Haddish through comedy and the two developed a close bond as they were both going through divorces at the time.

According to the lawsuit, Haddish called the family for ‘every birthday and every Christmas.’ 

Funny or Die, a comedy website John’s video was filmed for, shared a statement with TMZ saying it had no involvement in creating the ‘absolutely disgusting’ sketch, and it claimed the video was uploaded as user-generated content and removed as soon as they learned of it.

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