Embattled “Elf” star Faizon Love revealed in a Florida courtroom Friday that he is broke, has no permanent home, drives an old car, and relies on a friend to cover his expenses.
Lawyers for the 58-year-old actor, who was booked in Hillsborough County Tuesday on an outstanding warrant, argued in court that he has fallen on hard times despite appearing in the 2003 Will Ferrell-led blockbuster and nearly six dozen other films, 10 Tampa Bay News reported.
The attorney pointed to Love’s homelessness, empty savings account and reliance on an outdated 1999 car as evidence that he’s hit rock bottom.
Faizon Love stars with Chris Tucker in a scene from the 1995 film “Friday.” ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
Love was seen in a wheelchair for his first appearance in a Florida courtroom on June 19, 2026.
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Love has claimed he didn’t earn a single cent in 2025 and that his highest gross income over the last five years was just $13,000, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
The “Friday” comedian is facing two contempt of court charges stemming from a child support case involving his ex, Tiffany Lee, who claims he owes her $250,000, the outlet reported.
While Love told the judge Friday that he had recently seen his daughter and given her money, his attorney asked whether he was able to pay $2,500 a month in child support — to which the “Couple’s Retreat” star replied, “Right now? No,” 10 Tampa reported.
Lee, who appeared over video during the hearing, shot back claiming Love previously told her she “wasn’t going to get a dime” and that he would stop working and cancel shows to avoid paying child support.
Faizon Love stars with Will Ferrell in a scene from the 2003 film “Elf.”
Love’s attorney argued that keeping him behind bars prevents him from working and is damaging his Hollywood reputation.
“This sentence is preventing him from working and ruining his name in Hollywood,” the lawyer pressed.
Actors Faizon Love and J.B. Smoove presenting on stage at the 2016 ABFF Awards. Getty Images for BET
The judge ordered Love, who appeared in court cuffed and in a wheelchair, released from custody and gave him until July 1 to submit a financial statement proving he cannot afford the child support payments.
Love’s Hollywood career includes a string of scene-stealing roles in major studio comedies and independent films, beginning with his feature-film debut in the 1999 animated comedy “Bébé’s Kids.”
He went on to share the screen with Hollywood heavyweights such as James Earl Jones and Don Cheadle in the 1993 superhero comedy “The Meteor Man,” before landing a role alongside Ice Cube and Chris Tucker two years later in the cult classic “Friday.”
While Love is best known for playing the disgruntled Gimbels manager in “Elf,” he also appeared in films including “The Replacements,” “Couple’s Retreat,” and “The Last Stop in Yuma County.”
Love at the “Stand Up for Strikers” comedy event at Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California, in August 2023. Variety via Getty Images
His most recent film credit came in 2023, according to IMDB.
The “Friday” actor was cuffed in Florida Tuesday, appearing haggard and stone-faced in a mugshot after his arrest.
He was originally arrested in California over two weeks ago and served 16 days in jail, according to 10 Tampa.
Love’s attorney, Glen R. Lansky, told ABC News Thursday: “To my knowledge, he was picked up in Riverside County, California and transported some days later to Hillsborough County on orders of contempt from the Honorable Judge Mark Kiser.”
Reached for comment after Friday’s hearing, Lansky told the 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.”
Love has had prior run-ins with law enforcement, including several arrests for assault.
In 2017, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor for a caught-on-camera assault of a valet at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio, for which he was fined $500 and handed a 180-day suspended jail sentence.
Last year he was accused of felony assault after allegedly hurling a credit card machine at the head of a San Diego hotel clerk after she told him she couldn’t provide the room he had booked.