Comedian Eric André is speaking out once again about his experiences with racial profiling, this time alleging that he was detained at an airport in Australia over the weekend.
“This is one of many times I have been racially discriminated against at the airport,” she said in an Instagram video on Sunday. “This is a message to all Black, Brown and Indigenous people travelling through Melbourne today… be careful.”
The African-American comedian from the “Eric André Show” and “Bad Trip” said he was stopped at Melbourne Airport while traveling from New York City to Brisbane, where he is scheduled to film an upcoming project. André said he was pulled out of a line at the airport and put in a “special line” where a security dog “thoroughly sniffed him out.” In addition to the warning, André encouraged his followers to send him more information about the security program that uses the dogs, the officers who allegedly pulled him away and any leads on discrimination lawyers in Australia.
He also asked anyone booking him to perform in Australia in the future to make sure he doesn’t go through Melbourne airport without security checks. “Or fly directly to Brisbane or Sydney,” he said.
“I don’t feel safe at Melbourne Airport. I don’t want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against at these airports,” he added. “I don’t want to cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit to be treated like a first-class citizen.”
He compared the “insane” security dog program to “stop and search” policies and claimed the practice is “unethical” and provides a “less safe” experience for non-white passengers. He also shared a link to a study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney that questions the effectiveness of drug-sniffing dogs.
Melbourne Airport, via comments on Instagram, responded to André’s allegations, noting that 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, which oversee “all international arrivals at Melbourne Airport and other Australian international gateways.”
The airport statement added: “We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne and expect everyone to be treated equally.”
Qantas, the Australian airline that Andre mentions in both the video and the caption, had no comment but referred enquiries to the Australian Border Force. ABF told the Times on Monday that it confirmed that “there was no ABF sniffer dog involved nor was there 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 do – both human and canine – to keep Australia safe,” the ABF said in a statement.
Andre's representatives 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 questioned English and André about drugs while they waited 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 the airport issues this weekend. Singer Bebe Rexha claimed she was “threatened” by a Lufthansa airline worker for being Albanian. She reportedly aired her grievance on Saturday in Instagram stories that are no longer available.
“I thought the security officer was Albanian. I spoke to him in Albanian and asked where I could get my ticket, but now he is banning me from boarding the flight,” she wrote on social media, according to CNN. “I think this is a hate crime because I am Albanian.”
The “I'm Good” singer accused the guard of psychologically abusing her and claimed that “none of the women at Lufthansa” intervened. She also urged the German airline to conduct an investigation. Lufthansa said it has contacted the singer and has launched an internal review of the incident.
