Actor and comedian Faizon Love appeared in a Hillsborough County, Florida, courtroom as part of an ongoing child support dispute in which he is accused of owing approximately $250,000 in missed payments.
Love, widely recognized for playing Big Worm in the 1995 comedy Friday, appeared before the judge in a wheelchair, wearing a jail uniform and restraints. He had been taken into custody on contempt-of-court charges connected to allegations that he failed to comply with a court-ordered child support arrangement.
According to reports from the hearing, Love had been required to pay $2,500 per month. The other party’s legal team alleged that the actor had failed to make the required payments for years despite multiple court orders.
Love’s attorney disputed the idea that the missed payments were intentional and described the actor as experiencing serious financial hardship. His lawyer told the court that Love had previously been homeless, currently stays with a friend in California, has no meaningful savings and drives a vehicle manufactured in 1999.
The attorney also claimed that Love now depends heavily on royalty payments connected to the 2003 holiday movie Elf. Those residual checks reportedly provide him with approximately $10,000 per year, although reports regarding his exact recent income have varied.
Court filings cited by multiple outlets reportedly state that Love earned no income in 2025 and that his highest annual gross income during the previous five years was approximately $13,000.
Love’s legal team argued that continuing to keep him in custody would make it even more difficult for him to find acting work, rebuild his finances and make future payments. His attorney also suggested that the highly publicized legal dispute was damaging Love’s reputation within the entertainment industry.
After Love received credit for 16 days already spent in custody, the judge ordered his release. He was reportedly given until July 1 to provide the court with a complete financial disclosure.
His attorney has indicated that the defense intends to request a modification of the existing $2,500 monthly obligation based on Love’s reported income and current financial condition.
The alleged $250,000 balance remains part of an active legal dispute, and the court has not yet made a final determination regarding any long-term changes to the payment arrangement.