Sydney venue that turned pop superstar Pink away for not having ID with her now makes bizarre claim that the singer wasn’t ‘turfed out’ but ‘chose to leave’

The Sydney venue that turned away US pop star Pink earlier this week has claimed the singer was not refused entry but ‘chose to leave’.

The 44-year-old singer was turned away from the door of Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club with a large entourage on Monday evening because she had no ID on her.

The So What hitmaker reportedly made a booking and paid a 50% deposit to secure the reservation, before witnesses said she was ‘outed’ due to the club’s rules on identification.

However, in a statement released on Thursday, the club denied that the pop star’s unceremonious exclusion was due to a bureaucratic technicality.

‘It is important to clarify that Pink has not been ‘outed’; she chose to leave after experiencing an issue with the login process,” said club secretary manager Matt Hazell.

in a statement, the club denied that the pop star’s exclusion was due to a bureaucratic technical problem. ‘It is important to clarify that Pink has not been ‘outed’; she chose to leave after experiencing an issue with the login process,” said club secretary manager Matt Hazell

The statement continued: ‘As a 100-year-old sailing club we have policies in place to ensure all customers are properly registered.

‘However, there was a misunderstanding and we regret any embarrassment or frustration this may have caused. We appreciate (Pink’s) kindness and hope to welcome her back soon.”

However, witness Mark Eymes told A Current Affair on Thursday evening that Pink was told ‘she has to have her own ID’ to get into the club.

Mark said that when Pink was asked by a member of staff if she could provide proof of identity, she replied: ‘No, I don’t, I don’t have any ID on me.’

“She said, ‘I have this booking, I paid a 50 percent deposit,’” he recalls.

Mark revealed he tried to show his own membership card in a bid to get Pink into the venue, but claimed staff wouldn’t budge on the ID rule.

“I kind of heard it happen, so I jumped over to her line, grabbed my membership card and started waving it around,” he said.

‘I said, “look, I’ll sign them up, here’s my card and let’s go”. They just immediately said, ‘No, she has to have her own ID.’

After being turned away from the Skiff Club, Pink and her crew took a quick trip down Manly’s East Esplanade to 4 Pines Brewing.

After being turned away from the Skiff Club, Pink and her crew took a quick trip down Manly’s East Esplanade to 4 Pines Brewing.

It comes as many Australians took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the rules.

“Sydney is a joke,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter), while another wrote: “What a bunch of losers we have become.”

“Welcome to the nanny state, Pinky!” another began, before elaborating, “but seriously… she’s 44 years old. It’s beyond ridiculous that she had to prove her age. What a disaster Sydney’s nightlife is these days.’

Many Australians took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the rules

“What kind of asshole have we become where adults have to show their ID to buy food,” another X user complained.

Others, however, were not as embarrassed by the incident as they believed the rules should apply to everyone.

‘I do not see the problem. She had no ID. Would you be let in without it? No. Her perceived ‘status’ doesn’t matter,” read one comment.

‘Good for the club. There is one rule for all visitors. Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean you get special privileges,” wrote another, while another asked: “Why wouldn’t she follow the rules?”

Pink, who considers Australia a ‘second home’, is currently Down Under for her Summer Carnival tour, which kicked off in Sydney on Friday evening.

She has been exploring with her husband Carey Hart and their children Willow, 12, and Jameson, 7, surprising Australians with their peaceful outings.

Pink was born and raised in the United States but has become an ‘honorary Australian’ after breaking records for concert and album sales Down Under