Comedian Eric Andre has spoken out again about his experience of racial profiling, this time claiming that he was detained at an Australian airport over the weekend.
“These are just a few instances where I have experienced racism at the airport,” he said in an Instagram video on Sunday. “This is a message to all black, brown and Indigenous people travelling through Melbourne today… please be careful.”
The black comedian, who has appeared on “The Eric Andre Show” and “Bad Trip,” said he was stopped at Melbourne Airport while en route from New York City to Brisbane, where he plans to film an upcoming project. He said he was pulled out of the airport queue, put in a “special line” and “completely sniffed” by security dogs. In addition to his warning, Andre called on his fans to send him more information about dog security programs, the officer who allegedly stopped him, and leads to Australian discrimination lawyers.
He also asked potential future guests to perform in Australia not to go through Melbourne airport without security, “or to fly directly to Brisbane or Sydney,” he said.
“I don’t feel safe at Melbourne airport and I don’t want to be insulted or racized anymore at the airport,” he added. “I don’t want to cut my hair, wear a three-piece suit and be treated like a first class citizen.”
He likened the “absurd” security dog program to stop and search policies, arguing that the practice is “unethical” and creates a “less safe” experience for non-white passengers. He also shared a link to a study by the University of New South Wales in Sydney that casts doubt on the effectiveness of drug-sniffing dogs.
Melbourne Airport responded to Andre’s allegations through an Instagram comment, saying it “does not tolerate racism in any form.” The airport also said it would pass on the actor’s complaint to the Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which oversee “all international arrivals into Melbourne Airport and other Australian international gateways.”
“We welcome all passengers to Melbourne and expect everyone to be treated equally,” the airport statement added.
Australian airline Qantas, which Andre mentions in both the video and the caption, did not comment but referred inquiries to the Australian Border Force, which told The Times on Monday it had confirmed that “this was not the result of an ABS sniffer dog or any contact between the ABS and Eric Andre.”
“At ABF we are really proud of our diverse workforce, particularly at Melbourne Airport, and the work that both humans and dogs do to keep Australia safe,” ABF said in a statement.
A representative for Andre did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Andre detailed a similar experience with security guards 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 Andre about drugs while they were waiting to board a flight in October 2020 and April 2021. The initial lawsuit was dismissed, but the comedian’s lawyers appealed in January.
The Emmy-nominated comedian wasn’t the only star to speak out about her airport ordeal this weekend. Singer Bebe Rexha claimed that Lufthansa employees “threatened” her because she is Albanian. She reportedly aired her frustrations in a since-expired Instagram Story on Saturday.
“The security guard assumed I was Albanian. When I asked him where I could buy a ticket in Albanian he kicked me off the plane,” she wrote on social media, according to CNN. “I am Albanian so I believe this is a hate crime.”
The “I’m Good” singer accused the security guards of mentally abusing her and claimed that “not a single woman from Lufthansa” intervened. She also called on the German airline to investigate. Lufthansa said it had contacted the singer and had launched an internal investigation into the incident.