Current:Home > ScamsFantasia Barrino accuses Airbnb host of racial profiling: 'I dare not stay quiet' -DataFinance
Fantasia Barrino accuses Airbnb host of racial profiling: 'I dare not stay quiet'
View
Date:2025-04-17 11:42:09
Fantasia Barrino is speaking out after a recent family trip was cut short due to an alleged incident of racial profiling.
The actress-singer took to social media on Sunday to recount the incident, alleging that she and her family were asked by their Airbnb host to vacate their rental property early.
"My stomach is so uneasy this morning as I’m riding back to my home in the cold and rain," Barrino wrote in a post on X. "I don’t say much when people do me wrong, but I can’t stay quiet on how my family and I were just treated from a host with (Airbnb) trying to kick my kids and I out at 12:00 midnight."
Barrino also claimed the unnamed Airbnb host "accused us of having a party with loud noises outdoors because they saw balloons being dropped off and a game truck with no generator in the early part of the day," although "The Color Purple" star said the number of individuals in her party matched the number of guests listed in her reservation.
"They never said we weren’t allowed to have any company over!!" Barrino wrote. "It's evident from the sayings on the wall, to the outdoor fire pit/jacuzzi and a well-equipped game room in the garage/poker table that people host parties and/or gatherings here on the lake often as there were weights with balloon ribbon left in the garage from a previous party at the house."
She concluded: "It's evident to me this was racial profiling and the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin. I wanted my son to enjoy his friends (10-12) year old and make him feel special as I have been traveling for the last 35+ days promoting a movie I starred in. This time, I dare not stay quiet."
USA TODAY has reached out to Barrino's representatives for comment.
Airbnb's customer support account, @AirbnbHelp, responded to Barrino's allegation in a comment on the singer’s X post.
"Hi Fantasia, Airbnb does not condone discrimination in any way," the post read, redirecting Barrino to the company’s nondiscrimination policy. "Please send us a (direct message) with the email address connected to your booking, so our team can follow up. Thank you."
USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Airbnb for comment.
Barrino shared photos of the activities from her family trip in an Instagram post, which included a group painting session, a bonfire and an outing to what appears to be an indoor rock-climbing park. "When love is present, it overlooks your race, age, gender, profession, zip code and even your past," she wrote.
"Being abruptly asked to vacate a house (which proved to not be a Home) on the first night while a diverse group of technologically (and) robotically Inclined group of kids (one is a pianist) were winding down to sleep was unthinkable," Barrino wrote. "Gaining and understanding wasn’t the desire, while we were being screened on various Ring cameras, the happiness and character of the kids present also wasn’t considered. Right after a hot-chocolate Sip & Paint, without warning, we were asked to leave.
"So, at 6 (a.m.) in the freezing rain, with sleepy kids, we loaded up 4 vehicles, respectfully cleaned and organized everything back to its original place and we left. Logistically, some of the children had to be immediately taken home, with one stating they didn’t want to go home. I didn’t deserve to look or feel like I let my son and the other kids down."
Watch:Whoopi Goldberg receives standing ovation from 'The Color Purple' cast on 'The View'
More on 'The Color Purple':Oprah Winfrey opens up about weight loss transformation at film's premiere
veryGood! (96)
Related
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Why is looking at a solar eclipse dangerous without special glasses? Eye doctors explain.
- Pregnant Vanderpump Rules Star Lala Kent Reveals the Sex of Baby No. 2
- 2-time All-Star Ja Morant defended himself during pickup game fight, judge says
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- At movie industry convention, leaders say blockbusters alone aren’t enough
- The trial of an Arizona border rancher charged with killing a migrant has reached the halfway point
- Connecticut joins elite list of eight schools to repeat as men's national champions
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Urban Outfitters' Total Eclipse of the Sale Delivers Celestial Savings Up to 40% on So Many Cute Styles
Ranking
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Clark Effect: Ratings and attendance boost could be on way for WNBA
- UConn concludes a dominant run to its 2nd straight NCAA title, beating Zach Edey and Purdue 75-60
- Sister of Maine mass shooting victim calls lawmakers’ 11th-hour bid for red flag law ‘nefarious’
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Morgan Wallen's Ex KT Smith Speaks Out Amid Reports Her Elopement Was Behind Bar Incident
- Florida woman charged with freeway shootings amid eclipse said she was 'directed by God'
- Reactions to Elly De La Cruz's inside-the-park home run in Reds-Brewers game
Recommendation
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Driver wounds Kansas City officer after grabbing gun during traffic stop
Books most challenged in 2023 centered on LGBTQ themes, library organization says
New Mexico Supreme Court upholds 2 murder convictions of man in 2009 double homicide case
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Mexican police find 7 bodies, 5 of them decapitated, inside a car with messages detailing the reason they were killed
Zoo animals got quiet, exhibited nighttime behavior during total solar eclipse
Billy Dee Williams thinks it's fine for actors to wear blackface: 'Why not?'