NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: Fantasia Barrino attends THR Presents Live: The Color Purple at Crosby Hotel on December 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Fantasia Barrino took to social media to call out an Airbnb host for what she alleges to be a racial profiling incident. Barrino says that she and her family were kicked out of their rental property by the host over a party they had thrown for her son Xavier‘s birthday.
In her post shared on her Twitter on Sunday (December 17), the 39-year-old stated that she invited several guests over for the special occasion, which aligned with the number on her reservation, indicating her rightful authority to host people. But by midnight, Barrino says the host accused her of throwing a party so loud that it was causing noise outside of the rental.
My stomach is so uneasy this morning,” she wrote in a lengthy message on Twitter. “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 @airbnbhelp trying to kick my kids and I out at 12:00 midnight.”
She continued, “The 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.”
The ‘Lose To Win’ singer mentioned that her booking didn’t mention any restrictions on having people over. Furthermore, the property strongly indicated that other people had gatherings there in the past through the presence of amenities such as a jacuzzi, outdoor fire pit, and writing on the wall mentioning the location of the game room and balloon ribbons.
Airbnb’s help account wasted no time responding to Barrino’s tweet. The company stressed it does not condone discrimination. They have asked her to send them a message with the email used on the account.
Additionally, the company said it would investigate the matter and follow up with her on their findings. It remains unclear whether Barrino has reached out yet.
Barrino continued to express her disappointment over what transpired in the early hours of the night. She explained she’s been traveling for over a month in support of her new movie, ‘The Color Purple.’
She wanted to do something nice for her son after his mom’s busy promotional campaign for the critically acclaimed motion picture. The unfair treatment by the Airbnb host consequently turned Xavier’s birthday celebration into shambles for his family.
“It’s evident to me this was racial profiling and the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin,” she continued. “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.”
In another post on Instagram, Barrino uploaded a carousel of pictures of the happy children. The children appear to be in the Airbnb property as she shed light on the severity of the situation.
“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 6a, 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.”
