Tiffany Haddish's DUI charges in L.A. dropped after plea deal

Tiffany Haddish’s DUI charges in L.A. are dropped after ‘wet reckless’ plea deal

Tiffany Haddish ears a yellow top, black pants and hoop earrings while standing partially behind a curtain

By Nardine SaadStaff Writer

Feb. 2, 2024 12:15 PM PT

As much as Tiffany Haddish loved that “beautiful” Beverly Hills jail, the comedian won’t be facing any more jail time stemming from her Thanksgiving weekend arrest.

The “Girls Trip” and “Haunted Mansion” star struck a plea deal Thursday in Los Angeles that resulted in two misdemeanor DUI charges against her being dropped. However, prosecutors brought a new charge — a reduced vehicle code violation known as the misdemeanor “wet reckless” — to which Haddish pleaded no contest, according to a spokesperson for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.

Wet reckless is among the lowest offenses prosecutors can allow a suspect to plea in a driving-under-the-influence case.

Haddish, 44, was also placed on a year of summary probation and ordered to complete a driver’s education program, the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Victim Impact Program, L.A. County’s Hospital and Morgue Program, as well as 40 hours of community service, the D.A.’s Office said. She will also have to pay a series of standard fines and fees.

“Ms. Haddish has agreed to a simple vehicle code violation (not driving under the influence which has been dismissed) and looks forward to this being behind her,” her attorney Alex Spiro said Friday in a statement to The Times. He also expects it to be expunged from Haddish’s record.

The Emmy- and Grammy-winning star, who was taken into custody on Nov. 24 last year, had initially been charged with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of driving with at least a 0.08% blood alcohol level. She pleaded not guilty to both DUI charges during her Dec. 20 arraignment.

Haddish was arrested the day after Thanksgiving after serving meals at L.A.’s Laugh Factory and performing a set at the historic comedy club on Thanksgiving Day. Authorities received a call around 5:45 a.m. that Friday about a vehicle blocking the road on Beverly Drive near Dayton Way. Haddish was reportedly asleep behind the wheel of an awkwardly parked car.

The comedian joked about the incident during a subsequent set at the Laugh Factory. Then, after charges were filed in December, she said that “this will never happen again,” vowing to “get some help” to “learn balance and boundaries.”

In late December, Haddish raved about the Beverly Hills jail amenities during a Christmas set at the Laugh Factory and also shed light on her struggles.

“I’m not perfect. I’m a human being,” she said on Los Angeles’ all-news radio station KNX. “And I’ve been doing my research on this. A million people in America every year are charged with DUI. And what have I realized? I gotta go to bed. I can’t help everybody. OK. I can’t show up and rescue people, ’cause I be tired.

“I’ve learned also that everyone thinks I’m super rich and I think that they forget that I’m a Black woman working in this business,” she added. “And they think that people want to work on holidays. And they don’t. The driver don’t want to drive on the holidays and they definitely don’t want to drive me to go help somebody else. They’re not going there.”

Haddish still faces a DUI case in Georgia where she was arrested in 2022 after allegedly falling asleep behind the wheel.

A Georgia judge ordered the stand-up comic not to drink alcohol or consume illegal drugs after her arrest in L.A., according to court documents cited by Radar Online. The news outlet said she also would be subject to court-ordered random drug and alcohol testing.

Times staff writers Sarah Parvini and Carlos De Loera contributed to this report.