Actress-comedian Tiffany Haddish pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanor DUI charges stemming from her arrest last month in Beverly Hills, California.
The 44-year-old Emmy and Grammy winner did not appear before the judge in person, Rolling Stone reported. She entered the plea through one of her attorneys, Mari Henderson, an associate at the firm of Alex Sprio.
Sprio is the longtime lawyer of Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion, and Elon Musk, according to the magazine. Rolling Stone, citing anonymous sources, said that Sprio is the lead lawyer in the case.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Haddish was charged with one count each of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a 0.08% blood alcohol content, Deadline reported.
It was Haddish’s second arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence in two years.
Police told KTLA-TV that officers arrested Haddish after she allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel at 5:45 a.m. PST on Nov. 24. At the time, authorities were responding to calls about someone who appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel of a running car parked in the middle of Beverly Drive, the television station reported.
The “Girls Trip” star told Entertainment Tonight that her Tesla parked itself after she dozed off. She later joked about the incident during a performance at the Laugh Factory in Long Beach, TMZ reported.
[ Tiffany Haddish arrested on suspicion of DUI ]
Jail records showed that Haddish was released from custody later that day, Deadline reported.
According to Rolling Stone, Haddish had performed at the Laugh Factory on the night of her arrest during the establishment’s 43rd annual free Thanksgiving feast and party for disadvantaged members of the community.
Haddish said after her arrest that she plans to “get some help.”
“I’m going to get some help so I can learn balance and boundaries,” Haddish told Entertainment Tonight.
[ Tiffany Haddish says she will get help after DUI arrest ]
Haddish was previously arrested on a DUI charge on Jan. 14, 2022. Authorities arrested Haddish after getting a report of a driver asleep behind the wheel of a vehicle in the Atlanta metro area, WSB-TV reported. She was charged with DUI and improper stopping on a roadway.
A pretrial hearing for Haddish’s latest charges is set for Feb. 14, 2024, according to Deadline.