Tiffany Haddish expressed her regret for her controversial sketch with fellow comedian Aries Spears, who says he “won’t be shaken down.”
Last week, the Mad TV star and Haddish were named in a suit accusing the famed comics of grooming and molesting two children. On Wednesday, Spears took to his Spears & Steinberg podcast to say what he could about the pending child molestation lawsuit.
“Listen, obviously, for legal reasons, I really can’t talk about anything at this time,” Spears said before thanking his loyal listeners and supporters.
The comic labeled the lawsuit as an “extortion case” he plans to fight.
“This is a shakedown and we won’t be shaken down,” he declared.
“This is a shakedown, and I didn’t need my lawyer to tell me this to say this, but I’m gonna echo her words, ‘We won’t be shaken down,'” he continued.
“Believe me, it’s bothering me not to talk about the skit,” Spears said.
“There’s some very valid things that I feel like I have to say, or want to say.”
“And I’m no coward,” Spears said while doubling down.
“I’m not running from anything, and I’m not guilty of anything. It’s the reason why I won’t turn my mentions off on my Instagram. It’s the reason why … you know … I’m not deleting any of my old posts. I would love to address it head on.”
“It’s paining me to do so because I’m a fighter. I’m not a runner,” he said of his silence on the suit while his character is being “assassinated.”
His podcast comments come after his attorney, Debra Opri, said the TV star “isn’t going to fall for any shakedown,” RadarOnline reports.
On Monday, Haddish released a more sympathetic statement admitting to the pedophile sketch not being funny and denying the molestation claims.
“”I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you,” Haddish said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now.”
The Girls Trip star noted that while the “sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn’t funny at all.”
“I deeply regret having agreed to act in it,” Haddish concluded.
“I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can.”