Elf star Faizon Love arrested in Florida

Elf star Faizon Love has been arrested in Florida.

The 58-year-old actor, best known for also starring in the comedy films The Meteor Man, Friday, and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, was booked into Orient Road Jail in Tampa on Tuesday (June 16), on two charges of contempt of court.

According to a TMZ report, Love's arrest is related to a paternity case in which he's involved.

Faizon Love was arrested in Tampa on June 16. Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Love claims financial hardship

Earlier this year, Love asked the court for relief, claiming he could not afford to pay the roughly $250,000 he allegedly owed in support payments, per Hot97.

In court filings, he said his income had plunged and that he was facing serious financial difficulties.

According to the documents, the B.A.P.S. actor said his highest annual income over the previous five years was around $13,000. He also claimed he had earned no income during the past year.

In addition to this, Love stated that a medical emergency prevented him from attending a scheduled court hearing in April.

Love's previous arrests

This isn't the first time the comedian was arrested, as back in 2017, he was apprehended for allegedly attacking a valet at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio.

Surveillance footage showed Love grabbing the employee behind the neck in the baggage claim area and throwing him onto the ground and into a desk.

The actor pleaded no contest to the incident and received a suspended sentence of 180 days and a $500 fine, per WBNS.

The actor has also been accused of assaulting San Diego hotel employee Elizabeth Renderos in 2024.

The plaintiff claimed that Love became "agitated and aggressive" after she said the Sheraton Hotel had no vacancy, and that he "forcefully ripped the credit card reader off the counter and hurled it at her, "striking her on the right side of her head".

At the time the lawsuit was filed, records from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office showed there was an active arrest warrant for Love on a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon that had been issued in October 2024. However, the warrant has since been cleared and is no longer active.

This isn't the first time Faizon Love has been arrested. Credit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty

Love's screen acting career started with Bebe's Kids in 1992. He went on to star on both The Meteor Man (1993) and The Parent 'Hood (1995–1999), and also portrayed Big Worm in the original Friday (1995).

The actor featured in the 2003 Christmas classic as the manager of Gimbels department store, where Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, lands a job.

He also collaborated with Elf director Jon Favreau on the films Made (2001) and Couples Retreat (2009).

Most recently, Love appeared in the 2023 thriller The Last Stop in Yuma County. According to his IMDb, he also has several upcoming projects currently in development.

Featured image credit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty