Fantasia Barrino believes an Airbnb host racially profiled her during a recent family trip.
On Dec. 17, The Color Purple star took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out her Airbnb host after she and her family were allegedly asked to leave their rental property in the middle of the night. The star was holding a fun trip for her son and a few of his friends when the incident happened.
“My stomach is so uneasy this morning as I’m riding back to my home in the cold and rain,” Barrino, 39, penned Dec. 17. “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 by a host with (Airbnb) trying to kick my kids and I out at 12:00 midnight.”
Barrino claimed that the angry host gave them the boot because they thought she and her family were “having a party with loud noises outdoors.” The unidentified Airbnb host alleged that they saw “balloons being dropped off and a game truck with no generator in the early part of the day.” Barrino refuted the claims.
“The amount of guests we reserved for are the amount of guest who stayed the night. They never said we weren’t allowed to have any company over!!” the Broadway star continued. “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.”
Before signing off, the “Free Yourself” singer penned that she was certain she and her family were being racially profiled and that the incident was fueled by “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,” the celeb added.
Airbnb replied to the R&B star with a link to their “Nondiscrimination Policy,” noting how they do not “condone discrimination in any way.”
“Please send us a DM with the email address connected to your booking so our team can follow up. Thank you,” the company added.
Barrino did not stop there.
The Grammy Award-winning singer shared more details about her alleged Airbnb incident on Instagram. The American Idol winner claimed that her Airbnb host asked them to “vacate” the property on the first night of their stay. According to her post, the unfortunate mishap occurred as her son and his friends were “winding down to sleep” after a fun “hot-chocolate Sip & Paint” activity.
“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,” the matriarch captioned a photo carousel of her son and his buddies having fun at the Airbnb Dec. 17.
“So, at 6 am, in the freezing rain, with sleepy kids, we loaded up four vehicles, respectfully cleaned and organized everything back to its original place, and we left. Logistically, some 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.”
During an Instagram Live session Sunday, the upset artist doubled down on her frustration with the Airbnb host, stating that the incident felt like “a black thing.”
At one point during the night, the star claimed that her husband took the kids outside to tell scary stories around the fire pit, which elicited “one or two screams,” but the children “were in bed by 9 o’clock,” Barrino said, noting how the host called with a noise complaint at 11:30 p.m., well after the children were tucked into bed.
According to the singer, the Airbnb host claimed that they had videos to prove she and her family were being noisy, but they have yet to send “proof” of their alleged boisterous behavior.
“So, let me ask you guys a question. If you rent out an Airbnb —let’s say you go somewhere for Christmas — you’re going to see your family. You can’t have family over to the Airbnb? “she added. “I’m confused y’all. It feels like a black thing.”
Watch the full video below. Do you think Fantasia was racially profiled?
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