Singer and actress Fantastia Barrino has accused an Airbnb host of “racial profiling” after she and her son were forced out of a rental home last weekend.
Barrino, 39, posted a lengthy message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday morning. The multihyphenate won the third season of American Idol and releases music under the mononym Fantasia. She will star in the upcoming remake of 'The Color Purple'.
In the post, Fantasia alleged that an Airbnb host tried to forcibly remove her and 12-year-old son Dallas, as well as his friends, from a rented property in Mooresville, North Carolina.
“My stomach is so uneasy this morning driving back home in the cold and rain,” Barrino wrote. “I don't say much when people wrong me, but I can't stay silent about how my family and I have just been treated.”
The singer claimed the host accused her of throwing a party “with loud noises” due to a balloon delivery and the arrival of a gaming truck earlier that day.
Fantasia Barrino, the singer and actress known as Fantasia, accused an Airbnb host of forcing her, son Dallas and his friends out of a rented property over the weekend
The 39-year-old multihyphenate claims they were asked to leave 'without warning' and accused of throwing a party 'with loud noises'
The listing for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Mooresville, North Carolina has been moved
The host never said they couldn't have company, Barrino continued.
“From the statements on the wall, the outdoor fire pit/jacuzzi, and the well-equipped garage game room/poker table, it is clear that people often host parties and/or gatherings here at the lake,” she wrote. adding that there were remnants of balloons from a previous party.
“It is clear to me that this was racial profiling and that the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin,” she finished.
Fantasia did not say how their race played a role in their request to leave.
The listing of the property was removed after the response. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home sits on the shores of Lake Norman and is designed to accommodate 10 guests.
'We have lost our internal compass of Love!' Barrino proclaimed in a separate Instagram post, accompanied by photos of her son — who just celebrated his birthday on Dec. 13 — and grinning friends in the rented home.
“Love makes us think deeply, it takes us away from places of sympathy where through empathy we can gain real understanding,” the singer wrote. “When love is present, it ignores your race, age, gender, occupation, zip code, and even your past.
“It was unthinkable to be abruptly asked to leave a house (which turned out not to be a home) on the first night while a diverse group of technologically and robotically minded children (one of whom was a pianist) were sleeping.”
She included photos of the children standing around the outdoor fire pit, lying on bunk beds and painting with watercolors.
Barrino's son turned 12 on Wednesday and celebrated with a group of friends
A parent of one of the guests says the kids couldn't roast s'mores 'because of the neighbors'
Barrino says they were asked to leave abruptly after a hot chocolate 'Sip & Paint' event (pictured)
“Attainment and understanding was not the desire, while we were screened on several Ring cameras, the happiness and 'character' of the children present were also not taken into account,” Barrino continued. 'Immediately after a hot chocolate Sip & Paint we were asked to leave without warning.'
The family was first asked to leave at midnight, Fantasia claimed. They didn't leave then, opting to wait until 6am to leave.
At 6 a.m., as freezing rain fell, Barrino and guests cleared the property before loading four vehicles and leaving. Some children had to be taken home despite their protests, she said.
“I did not deserve to look or feel like I failed my son and the other children,” Barrino wrote.
Fantasia said they also cleaned the house and restored it to its original condition before leaving.
Airbnb responded to the actress' tweet with a message from her customer service account.
“Airbnb does not tolerate discrimination in any way,” the rental company wrote, including a link to its non-discrimination policy.
Barrino was encouraged to contact the email address associated with her booking via direct message, “so our team can follow up.” It is unclear whether she did so.
Bina Bustamante Guinn, the mother of one of the children in attendance, responded on Instagram, writing: “My son had a great time.
“It's crazy because when I dropped it off, it was quiet outside. The kids were sitting peacefully in the game truck playing video games,” Guinn said, adding that the party “seemed a little too quiet for kids.”
The actress and singer stars in 'The Color Purple', which will be released in theaters on December 25
She received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Celie, a black woman living in rural Georgia in the 1900s.
Barrino first rose to fame as the winner of the third season of American Idol in 2004
The woman said her son said the children couldn't cook s'mores “because of the neighbors.”
Barrino will star in “The Color Purple,” which hits theaters later this month. Based on the novel of the same name, the film follows a black woman named Celie living in rural Georgia in the 1900s.
The 39-year-old received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
She is starring in the lead role for the second time, playing the role of Celie in the Broadway rendition of “The Color Purple” from 2005 to 2008.