Marlon Wayans, a well-known actor recognized for his roles in popular films and television shows such as White Chicks and In Living Color, found himself embroiled in controversy while flying from Denver to Kansas City on United Airlines. Wayans was approached by a gate agent during boarding who informed him that his carry-on bags exceeded the allowed number. Wayans consolidated his belongings into a single bag to comply with the regulations.
However, that wasn’t the end of his troubles. The gate agent said the consolidated bag was too big and had to be checked at the gate. Wayans got angry, responding, “See now you’re just [f’in] with me.”
Wayans took his boarding pass off the counter and “allegedly slamm[ed it] on the counter,” according to an Instagram post. Then, the actor walked right past the agent to get on the plane.
Wayns was taken off the plane by airport workers shortly after. He posted a series of Instagram photos and videos telling his side of the story on social media. He said the gate agent first told him that he had too many bags, but Wayans complied by consolidating them. Wayans also said he was upset that he had to deal with a “bad person” on the airline’s staff, stressing that most agents are usually kind and helpful.
As a result of the incident, the police gave him a ticket for his actions.
The Fallout From Airline Incident
Wayans missed his stand-up comedy shows in Kansas City, Missouri, as a result of the incident. When he said that United’s corporate representatives defended the gate agent’s actions by saying that there wasn’t enough room on the plane, his anger grew.
“Y’all owe me money for my shows I missed, y’all owe me for my troubles, y’all owe my fans a damn apology. This was the highest level of disrespect. And should’ve been avoided,” the White Chicks star added in one of his posts.
He continued, “Black people (experience) all kinds of racism and classism. I won’t allow this. Over a bag?”
United Airlines stated that Wayans was prohibited from boarding the flight due to an incident in Denver where he forcefully bypassed a United employee and attempted to board the plane despite being instructed to gate-check his bag.
Even though Wayans missed his show in Kansas City that night, he was able to reschedule his flight on American Airlines.