Comedian Eric André is speaking out once again about his experiences with racial profiling, this time alleging he was detained in an Australia airport over the weekend.
“It’s one of the many times I’ve been racially profiled at the airport,” he said Sunday in an Instagram video. “This is a message to all Black, brown and Indigenous people traveling through Melbourne today … please be careful.”
The “Eric André Show” and “Bad Trip” comedian, who is Black, said he was stopped at the Melbourne Aiport as he was traveling from New York City to Brisbane, where he is set to shoot an upcoming project. André said he was pulled out of a line in the airport and put in a “special line” where he was “sniffed thoroughly” by a security dog. In addition to the warning, André encouraged his fans to send him more information about the security program that uses the dogs, the officers who allegedly pulled him aside and any leads for discrimination lawyers in Australia.
He also asked anyone who might hire him to perform Down Under in the future to ensure he does not go through the Melbourne Airport without security. “Or have me fly into Brisbane or Sydney directly,” he said.
“I do not feel safe in the Melbourne Airport. I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against anymore at these airports,” he added. “I don’t wanna cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit so I’m treated like a first class citizen.”
He likened the “cockamamie” security dog program to stop-and-frisk policies and claimed that the practice is “unethical” and provides a “less safe” experience for non-white fliers. He also shared a link to a study from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, that questions the effectiveness of drug-detection dogs.
The Melbourne Airport, via Instagram comments, responded to André’s allegations, noting it “does not tolerate racism in any form.” The airport also said it would address the actor’s complaint with the Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who oversee “all international arrivals at Melbourne Airport and other Australian international gateways.”
The airport statement added: “We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne, and we expect everyone to be treated equally.”
Qantas, the Australian airline Andre names in both his video and caption, did not comment but referred inquiries to the Australian Border Force. ABF told The Times on Monday that it confirmed “this was not an ABF detector dog nor an ABF interaction with Mr Eric Andre.”
“Here at the ABF, we are really proud of our diverse workforce, especially at Melbourne Airport and the work they undertake — both human and canine — to keep Australia safe,” the ABF said in a statement.
Representatives for Andre did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
André detailed a similar experience with security at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In October 2022, Andre and fellow comedian Clayton English sued the Clayton County Police Department, alleging that officers stopped, searched and asked English and André about drugs while they were waiting to board their flights in October 2020 and April 2021, respectively. The initial case was dismissed, but the comedians’ legal team filed an appeal in January.
The Emmy-nominated comedian wasn’t the only star to speak out about airport woes this weekend. Singer Bebe Rexha alleged that a worker for Lufthansa airline “threatened” her for being Albanian. She reportedly aired her grievance Saturday in since-expired Instagram stories.
“I thought the security agent was Albanian. I spoke to him in Albanian asking where to get my ticket and now he is banning me from the flight,” she wrote on social media, according to CNN. “I believe this to be a hate crime because I am Albanian.”
The “I’m Good” singer accused the guard of mentally abusing her and alleged that “not one of the women at Lufthansa” intervened. She also urged the German airline to conduct an investigation. Lufthansa said it reached out to the singer and has launched an internal review of the incident.
