Actor Faizon Love reveals how much he's paid from Elf royalties as he appears in court after arrest
Faizon Love, best known for his roles in Couples Retreat, The Replacements and Elf, has made his first court appearance after being arrested over a child support dispute.
The 58-year-old actor was released from jail on Friday (June 19), three days after being arrested on two counts of contempt of court in Florida's Hillsborough County. He had been booked into a Tampa jail on Tuesday (June 16), according to jail records and a statement from his attorney, Glen Lansky.
Love was originally arrested in California, where he served a 16-day jail sentence, before being transported to Florida to face the charges.
The arrest followed his ex, Tiffany Lee, reopening a declaration-of-paternity case on June 11.
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According to TMZ, she claims Love owes her around $250,000 in unpaid child support.
During the hearing, Lee and her attorney alleged he had not made any court-ordered payments in years, and claimed he once told her she 'wasn't going to get a dime'.
Love's attorney pushed back on the characterisation in court, saying Lee and her legal team were 'painting him as a complete villain', and pointed to a history of homelessness and financial hardship to explain the missed payments.
How much does Faizon Love make in royalties from Elf?
Love told the court his income was too low to cover the $2,500-a-month payments. He appeared in a wheelchair and said he relies on around $10,000 a year in royalty checks from Elf to survive. He played the no-nonsense Gimbel's manager who comes face to face with Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf in the 2003 Christmas movie.
Love's attorney later revealed he had previously slept in his car.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Love claimed his highest gross annual income across the last five years was $13,000, with his earnings for 2025 totalling $0.
Lansky told the court his client still hopes to work again despite the financial strain.
"He wants to write. He has contacts in the business, and hopefully he's able to get more gigs," the attorney said.
Following the hearing, Lansky issued a statement clarifying that Love is not currently homeless, explaining that the actor 'was only homeless for a very brief period of time and currently lives with a friend in California'.
A judge has now set a July 1 deadline for Love to submit a financial statement confirming he is unable to meet the child support payments.
Lansky said he was pleased with how the hearing went, confirming he has taken over representation of all outstanding matters in the case and will file a petition to modify the child support arrangement going forward.
Speaking to UNILAD, Glenn Lansky said: "He was released and we were extremely pleased with the outcome. He has fallen on hard times financially but will continue to try and find roles and hopefully resume the stand up comedy shows. He will be residing in California with friends."
Topics: Entertainment, Film and TV, Celebrity
Thomas Bamford