'90s Hitmaker Kicked Off Southwest Flight After Airline Reportedly Deems Her a Safety Risk

It’s been a long time since Sandra “Pepa” Denton was at the center of a controversy, but the Salt-N-Pepa star is in the headlines again.

The ‘90s rapper was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight on July 15 when the crew decided she was a “safety risk” to her fellow passengers, as Denton told TMZ Hip Hop .

The rap icon was taking a direct flight from Las Vegas to Nashville for a meeting, having paid for two seats because of a knee injury she sustained in a 2018 car crash. However, once she was on the plane, a flight attendant told her she couldn’t use both seats because she wasn’t in a cast, despite having a knee brace.

After having a conversation, the FA relented and said Denton could use both seats–until a man arrived and asked her for one of the seats, claiming he was on his way to a funeral. A discussion ensued, with other passengers joining in, and Denton explained that when she asked the man to swear that he was really headed to a funeral, he refused, yet ended up with the seat anyway.

Denton called her assistant, who suggested she record the incident, but soon after,  she was removed from the plane. Southwest says it was because she was recording, but according to Denton, she never actually recorded anything. The airline also claims that Denton didn’t respond to the instructions of crew members and that they didn’t allow her to board for the “safety and comfort” of the other passengers. Denton states that they tried to move her to the emergency bulkhead aisle, but she declined as her boarding passes were marked “disabled,” and she wouldn’t have been able to assist in the event of an emergency.

According to the outlet, Southwest reimbursed Denton $2500 for the cost of the two tickets, though the rapper still paid $300 for the services of a wheelchair greeter and $500 for a car service that she wasn’t able to use. She says she’ll be exploring her legal options.

Denton posted a video talking to Southwest Airlines employees on Instagram, where fans showed their support.

"I can’t believe @southwestair kicked me off the plane today. WOW!!! #southwest ," she captioned the video, mentioning in the clip that other passengers said they would write a letter complaining about the incident on her behalf.

"Sounds like they just made up whatever excuse they could," one user wrote, as someone else suggested, "Call your lawyer."

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