Eric André says he was “racially profiled” and “detained” at the Melbourne Airport after a series of flights from New York City.
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In a video posted to Instagram , the comedian and actor said he was “pulled out of a lineup and put in a special line in Melbourne where I was sniffed thoroughly by a dog.”
“It’s one of the many times I’ve been racially profiled at the airport,” André said. “So this is a message for all Black, brown and indigenous people traveling through Melbourne today.”
André then asked his nearly three million followers if anyone had information about the specific police program, or statistics on how many white passengers versus people of color are selected. He also solicited recommendations for a discrimination lawyer in Australia.
André said he traveled to Australia from New York to film a project, with stops in Los Angeles and Brisbane. He asked that future employers in Melbourne hire a police escort to accompany him through the airport.
“I do not feel safe in the Melbourne Airport. I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against anymore at these airports,” he said. “I don’t want to cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit so that I’m treated like a first-class citizen. I shouldn’t be made to feel that I am unaccepted by entering a country. Shame on the people at the Melbourne Airport that have this cockamamie procedure. I doubt it yields any safer world for anybody in Melbourne or Australia.”
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Comparing his experience to “Giuliani stop and frisk,” André concluded that the procedure is “unethical and not safe.” “It has nothing to do with safety; it has everything to do with racial harassment,” he said.
The official Instagram account for the Melbourne Airport issued a response to André’s allegations in the comments section, writing: “Melbourne Airport does not tolerate racism in any form. We are following up your complaint with the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) who are in charge of processing all international arrivals at Melbourne Airport and other Australian international gateways. Melbourne Airport is proudly the gateway to one of the most multicultural cities in the world. We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne, and we expect everyone to be treated equally.”
In 2021, André alleged he was racially profiled and searched by police for drugs in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The comedian said at the time that he was the only person of color in line when the officers stopped him.
Together with comedian Clayton English, who separately alleged he was racially profiled and drug searched at the same airport, Andre filed a lawsuit against the police program, saying it violates the constitutional rights of airline passengers. After the suit was dismissed, André and English filed an appeal in January 2024.
André is best known for creating and hosting the Adult Swim experimental talk series “The Eric Andre Show,” and for his roles in “The Righteous Gemstones,” “Bad Trip” and the 2019 “Lion King” remake. He’ll next be seen in the Mark Wahlberg comedy “Balls Up,” which, it turns out, is filming in Australia.
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