Source: Arturo Holmes / Getty
For all the advancements we can accredit to Airbnb, the now-global rental app for vacations or any need in-between when it comes to room and board, it’s also had a fair share of racial discrimination controversies over the years — remember those “slave cabin” rentals?
Singer/actress Fantasia Barrino, lead star of the upcoming musical remake to The Color Purple arriving in theaters on Christmas Day, might’ve just experienced her own #AirbnbWhileBlack situation recently based on the way she broke down the incident that occurred during her son’s birthday party.
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Making sure the whole world got the message by writing on Twitter/X, posting on Instagram and even giving a video recollection via her IG Live, Fantasia says she was left feeling “uneasy” and as if we “lost our eternal compass of love” as a society. Hosts of the Mooresville, North Carolina residence allegedly kicked out the singer (a N.C. native herself) in the wee midnight hours for what they perceived to be a loud party. The GRAMMY-winning artist fired back by insisting that it was a house of approximately eight pre-teens, well under the age of 16 years old, who were in the middle of a child-friendly Sip-N-Paint with hot chocolate.
The company did respond soon after via its @AirbnbHelp account, writing, “Hi Fantasia, Airbnb does not condone discrimination in any way. You can view our Nondiscrimination Policy here: http://air.do/6014RrtEK Please send us a DM with the email address connected to your booking, so our team can follow up. Thank you.” However, it appears the Christmas After Midnight crooner is looking for a bit more to be done on their part.
While many have been coming to Fantasia’s defense since it first went viral over the weekend, some are questioning whether she understood that, well, policy is policy. Airbnb is known to restrict guests from throwing parties, which definitely might include a group of 12-year-olds with messy paint and hot chocolate in tow. We couldn’t help but wonder ourselves: does policy always trump party, even for the glitterati?
Take a look at what people are saying about Fantasia’s #AirbnbWhileBlack situation below, and let us know which side of the spectrum you fall on:
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1. I hope that host is suspended from Airbnb ASAP, there needs to be repercussions!
via @arianaunext
2. The host threw black children out onto the street at MIDNIGHT. I hope Fantasia gets even richer suing them.
via @oye_alizzayy
3. It don’t matter who you are or how much money you have, only thing some of these people see is skin color. Fantasia is a gentle soul, but she’s one of many in her class that have a hard time accepting this truth.
via @Makkim77
4. Girrrlllll I did the same for my sons bday party these boys TRASSHHHEEDDDD this air bnb lordttttt lol
via @WillBarb44
5. So many Airbnb listings state “NO PARTIES” so this doesn’t surprise me
via @SoCalSet67
6. I know Airbnb’s PR team is stressed out right now with this Fantasia crisis. Whewwww and in Christmas week too?! Yeah they getting COOKED.
via @tenilleclarke1
7. Wow. The standard reply! I cannot.
via @imcatnoone
8. Or for Fantasia to follow the rules, it’s against Airbnb policy to host events and parties 🤷🏾♂️
via @Chitownson2020
9. AirBnB def got the right and the wrong one this time. ☝🏽Kicking those kids out in the middle of the night. Just terrible. That host should be ashamed. #Fantasia 🥲
via @shaniaisha
10. I’m mad about how that Airbnb host treated Fantasia! I draw the line when kids are involved. The host needs to publicly apologize and Airbnb needs to terminate the account.
via @eginagainwoman
