What could have been a weekend of fun and celebration for Fantasia and her family was instead a soured experience marred by an allegation of racial profiling.
The actress has been in the media for all of the right reasons for weeks amid critical acclaim over her and her castmates’ performances in The Color Purple. But the joy of a successful press tour leading up to the film’s Christmas Day debut and her son Dallas Xavier’s birthday were disrupted by a nightmare Airbnb stay on Saturday (Dec. 16).
The “American Idol” alum tweeted on Sunday (Dec. 17), “My stomach is so uneasy this morning as I’m riding back to my home in the cold and rain. 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 [by] a host with Airbnb trying to kick my kids and [me] out at 12:00 midnight.”
Additional details, such as the fact that the singer, other guardians and seven kids vacated the property at 6 a.m., and images of their activities were shared on Instagram.
Her tweet would go on to state that the host expressed an issue with her throwing a party and outdoor noise after various Ring cameras captured a game truck and balloons that were delivered to the residence. Fantasia said the host did not prohibit gatherings and that the number of guests who stayed overnight was in accordance with her reservation.
“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,” she continued. Fantasia declared that the real issue was not the party but instead had more to do with race.
The Oscar hopeful wrote, “It’s evident to me [that] this was racial profiling, and the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin. I wanted my son to enjoy his friends (10–12 year olds) 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.”
The company’s reply to the tweet stated that it does not condone discrimination in any way. It also requested that she follow up with her booking details as the issue is looked into.