“He was only homeless for a very brief period of time,” a lawyer for the actor, who was released from jail on June 19, clarified to PEOPLE
Credit: New Line Cinema;Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
NEED TO KNOW
- Faizon Love was released from jail on June 19 after he was arrested for contempt of court over unpaid child support payments reportedly totaling around $250,000
- Love and his lawyer claimed in his first court appearance that he cannot pay the court-ordered child support due to financial struggles
- Love has allegedly struggled with homelessness and relies on $10,000 in annual Elf royalty checks
Faizon Love, the actor known for roles in films like Elf and Couples Retreat, has been released from jail. In his first court appearance, his lawyer revealed that he has been struggling with homelessness and poverty.
The California-based actor, 58, was released from jail on Friday, June 19, three days after he was arrested on two counts of contempt of court in Florida's Hillsborough County and booked into a Tampa jail on Tuesday, June 16, according to jail records and a statement from Love's attorney, Glen Lansky, provided to PEOPLE. He was originally arrested in California, where he served a 16-day jail sentence before he was transported to Florida, records show.
The arrest came after Tiffany Lee — identified by several outlets as Love's ex — reopened a declaration-of-paternity case on June 11 involving Love, court records show. She claims that he owes her around $250,000 in unpaid child support payments, per Complex and TMZ.
During his first court appearance at a hearing on Friday, Lee and her attorney claimed that he had not paid any of the court-ordered payments in years, per Complex. She also alleged that The Replacements actor once told her she "wasn't going to get a dime" and said he intended to stop working to avoid the court-ordered payments, according to the outlet.
Credit: New Line Cinema
Meanwhile, Love's attorney said Lee and her attorney are “painting him as a complete villain,” per FOX 13 Tampa Bay, adding that Love has a history of homelessness and financial hardship.
Love said in court that his income was too low to afford the court-ordered $2,500-per-month child support payments, FOX 13 reported. According to the outlet, the actor, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, said he has faced homelessness and poverty and relies on annual Elf royalty checks of around $10,000 to survive each year.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Love has also claimed that his highest gross annual income in the last five years was $13,000, and his income for 2025 was $0.
In the Friday hearing, Lansky also revealed that the actor has previously been homeless and said he missed a scheduled movie role while jailed over the contempt charges, per FOX 13 Tampa Bay. "I think he wants to act," Lansky said, according to the outlet. "He wants to write. He has contacts in the business, and hopefully he's able to get more gigs.”
"He was homeless. He lived in his car,” Love's attorney said in the hearing, per the outlet. “That's how the mighty have fallen.”
Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
In a statement to PEOPLE, Lansky later clarified that the Just My Luck actor is not currently homeless. “He was only homeless for a very brief period of time and currently lives with a friend in California,” the attorney said.
A judge has set a July 1 deadline for Love to confirm in a financial statement that he is unable to meet the child support payments to Lee, per Complex and Florida CBS affiliate WTSP. After Love's court appearance on Friday, Lansky said he is “very pleased” with the outcome in a statement to the New York Post.
“We are very pleased with the result and I have taken over representation on all outstanding matters related to his case and will be filing a supplemental petition to modify child support,” said Love's attorney.
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