‘Elf’ actor Faizon Love jailed in Florida over contempt charges in paternity case
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesFaizon Love, the Cuba-born comedian and actor best known for his roles in “Elf” and “Friday,” was arrested Tuesday in Tampa, Florida, on two counts of contempt of court stemming from a long-running paternity and child support dispute.
Mr. Love, 58, was booked into Hillsborough County’s Orient Road Jail after a judge ordered his arrest. According to Hillsborough County Clerk of Court records reviewed by USA Today, the case involves a reopened paternity suit dating to 2019 between Mr. Love and a woman identified as Tiffany Lee.
Court records show that Mr. Love’s paternity was established early in the proceedings but that he has repeatedly struggled to comply with court orders, including financial disclosures. Records also reflect multiple motions to suspend his driver’s license and an active civil warrant accompanied by an “affidavit of arrears” indicating back child support owed. As of Thursday morning, Mr. Love remained in custody without bond.
A Hillsborough County judge issued the contempt warrant after Mr. Love allegedly failed to appear at an April 8 hearing and did not submit financial documents the court had requested. The judge subsequently ordered a 90-day jail sentence. Earlier this year, Mr. Love filed documents claiming he had earned no income during the previous 12 months and could not meet child support obligations estimated at approximately $250,000. He also cited a medical incident as the reason for missing the April hearing. The court allowed contempt proceedings to move forward regardless.
Authorities initially detained Mr. Love in California on a fugitive warrant before extraditing him to Florida.
The Florida arrest compounds an already mounting set of legal troubles for the actor. A felony assault case remains pending in San Diego following an August 2024 incident at a Sheraton hotel in Mission Valley, where prosecutors allege Mr. Love tore a credit card reader from a front desk mount and hurled it at a hotel clerk, striking her in the head and causing a concussion. He faces charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon and a great-bodily-injury enhancement carrying a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison. Mr. Love has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Mr. Love is perhaps most recognizable as Wanda, Buddy the Elf’s exasperated department store boss in the 2003 Christmas comedy “Elf,” and as Big Worm in the seminal 1995 hip-hop comedy “Friday.” His other credits include “Couples Retreat,” “The Replacements” and voice work as Sean “Sweet” Johnson in the video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.”
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