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.
"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 accuser, Spears called Jane Doe 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."
Jane Doe did not immediately respond Thursday to the Los Angeles Times' request for comment.
On Monday, she 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 L.A. 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."
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