Fantasia Barrino is accusing an Airbnb host of racial profiling her family during a recent trip.
The American Idol alum, 39, hosted a party for her kids and their friends, and alleged they were treated unfairly.
“It’s evident to me this was racial profiling and the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin,” she wrote via X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday, December 17.
Barrino complained about the host allegedly “trying to kick my kids and I out at 12:00 midnight,” and accusing “us of having a party with loud noises outdoors because they saw balloons being dropped off.”
She said she and her family did nothing wrong.
“The amount of guests we reserved for are the amount of guests who stayed the night. They never said we weren’t allowed to have any company over!!” she continued.” It’s evident from the sayings on the wall, to the outdoor fire pit/jacuzzi and a well equipped game room in the garage/poker table that people host parties and/or gatherings here on the lake often as there were weights with balloon ribbon left in the garage from a previous party at the house.”
A representative for Airbnb responded to her complaint with this message: “Hi Fantasia, Airbnb does not condone discrimination in any way. You can view our Nondiscrimination Policy here: Please send us a DM with the email address connected to your booking, so our team can follow up. Thank you.”
Barrino also posted several Instagram photos of her son, Dallas, and his friends enjoying several activities on the trip, including a group painting session and gathering around a bonfire.
“Being abruptly asked to vacate a house (which proved to not be a Home) on the first night while a diverse group of technologically & robotically Inclined group of kids (one is a pianist) were winding down to sleep was unthinkable,” she captioned her post. “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,” she continued.
“I didn’t deserve to look or feel like I let my son and the other kids down,” Barrino concluded her post.
Barrino added that the purpose of the trip was for “my son to enjoy his friends and make him feel special as I have been traveling for the last 35+ days” promoting The Color Purple.
In the new version, the Grammy winner is reprising her role after previously starring as Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway from 2007 to 2008. Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker, the original 1985 film was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Whoopi Goldberg in the role of Celie.
