In June 2023, Marlon Wayans and Keke Palmer shared their experiences of troubling incidents at separate airports. Wayans accused United Airlines of singling him out when he tried to comply with their two-bag policy by consolidating three bags into two. On the other hand, Palmer called out Houston airport for what she referred to as "breast milk discrimination." She claimed that security threatened to dispose of over 16 ounces of her baby's food. Palmer, who had welcomed her son Leo in January 2023 with boyfriend Darius Jackson, expressed her frustration on Twitter.
In 2019, Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann, former stars of Don't Be Tardy, made headlines when their daughter Brielle Biermann claimed that their entire family was kicked off a flight to Atlanta. According to her tweet, they were waiting for her dad to finish going through security with their service dog. However, Delta released a statement saying that the Biermanns chose to deplane the flight after Kroy remained behind to provide proper paperwork for an emotional support animal.
In 2016, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reportedly got into a physical altercation during a flight from France to Los Angeles. They were traveling with their six children at the time.
"On September 14, 2016, Jolie's marriage came to an abrupt end as a result of a distressing incident. During their flight from Château Miraval to Los Angeles, Jolie, Pitt, and their children experienced both physical and emotional abuse from Pitt. At the time, their children ranged in age from 8 to 15," according to court documents filed by Jolie's legal team in October 2022. The documents further revealed that Pitt allegedly poured alcohol on Jolie, and in a horrifying turn of events, "choked one of the children and struck another in the face," while the children desperately tried to intervene and protect their mother's well-being. Consequently, Jolie made the decision to file for divorce, prioritizing the safety and welfare of her family.
The Division of Children and Family Services cleared the actor, known for his role in Fight Club, of any wrongdoing. Additionally, the FBI concluded their investigation into the star of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and chose not to pursue charges. A source close to Pitt exclusively informed Us that the allegations were deemed "completely untrue."
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Celebrities Recall Plane Incidents, Airport Nightmares: Taylor Swift, Savannah Chrisley and More
In June 2023, Marlon Wayans and Keke Palmer made headlines for their experiences at two separate airports. Wayans accused United Airlines of targeting him when he tried to consolidate his three bags into two to comply with their two-bag policy. On the other hand, Palmer called out Houston airport for what she believed was discrimination against breastfeeding mothers. She claimed that airport security threatened to dispose of over 16oz of breast milk, which was intended for her baby. Palmer, who had recently become a mother to son Leo in January 2023, shared her frustration on Twitter.
In a highly publicized incident in 2019, Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann, former stars of Don't Be Tardy, found themselves in the midst of a divorce and custody battle. However, prior to this, the couple made headlines when their daughter, Brielle Biermann, claimed that their entire family was removed from a flight to Atlanta due to issues with their service dog going through security. Delta Airlines, on the other hand, stated that the Biermanns chose to deplane the flight as Kroy remained behind to provide the necessary paperwork for their emotional support animal.
Another well-known incident occurred in 2016, involving Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Allegedly, during a flight from France to Los Angeles with their six children, the couple was involved in a physical altercation.
"On September 14, 2016, Jolie's marriage reached its breaking point. During a flight from Château Miraval to Los Angeles, Pitt subjected both Jolie and their children, aged 8 to 15 at the time, to physical and emotional abuse," stated court documents filed in October 2022 by Jolie's legal team. The distressing incident prompted Jolie to make the difficult decision to file for divorce, prioritizing the well-being of her family.
According to the same documents, Pitt allegedly doused Jolie with alcohol and engaged in alarming acts of violence, including choking one of the children and striking another in the face, while the children bravely tried to intervene and support their mother.
The Division of Children and Family Services cleared the actor from any wrongdoing, while the FBI closed their investigation into the star of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood without pressing charges. A source close to Pitt, speaking exclusively to Us, stated that the allegations were "completely untrue."
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Marlon Wayans
The actor from the film White Chicks allegedly received a citation for causing a disturbance at the Denver airport in June 2023. Sharing his perspective through an Instagram video, the star of the movie Air recounted his conversation with United Airlines' customer service regarding their policy on carrying two bags.
In the video, Wayans stated, "I had three bags, and I managed to condense them into two." He mentioned that United Airlines informed him that there was no available space on the flight for additional bags. Expressing his confusion, Wayans questioned why other passengers before and after him were allowed to carry both two and three bags. This observation sparked his interest.
The airline acknowledged the incident in a statement to Us, without explicitly mentioning the comedian's name. According to the statement, in Denver on Friday, a passenger who was informed that his bag would need to be checked at the gate, disregarded the United employee and forcefully tried to board the aircraft. However, it was noted that the customer ultimately did not travel with United to his intended destination. On the other hand, Wayans alleged that he was specifically singled out by the airline.
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Savannah Chrisley
The Chrisley Knows Best alum detailed an incident in April 2023 in which she was allegedly thrown off of a flight after a mishap with her bags.
"I approached the boarding gate for my flight [from New York to Nashville] when I was informed by a Southwest Airlines staff member that I needed to check my bag. Politely, I expressed my intention to try and fit my bag in the overhead compartment myself, and if unsuccessful, I would willingly check it in."
Following my attempt to do so, I was taken aback when the employee referred to me as an "unruly passenger" and showed reluctance in allowing the pilot, who kindly offered assistance, to intervene on my behalf as a podcast host.
Chrisley alleged that she got into a heated exchange with a Southwest attendant after she was told to calm down. According to her, she expressed the urgency of getting home to take care of her niece, but the attendant showed no concern. In the heat of the moment, Chrisley admitted to making a remark about the attendant finding a better purpose in life. However, the airline's representative contradicted her account, stating that she arrived late at the gate and became disrespectful towards their employee when asked to gate-check her bag. As a consequence, she was denied boarding on her original flight and was rebooked on a later one.
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Taylor Swift
After the “Anti-Hero” singer was ranked No. 1 on Yard’s list of the worst “celebrity [carbon dioxide emissions] offenders” in July 2022, Swift hit back.
While the study conducted by the digital marketing firm asserted that the Grammy winner's private jet had completed at least 170 flights within a span of six months, claiming that "Her total flight emissions for the year come in at 8,293.54 tons, or 1,184.8 times more than the average person's total annual emissions," a representative for Swift informed E! News that not all of these flights were undertaken by her. The spokesperson clarified that Taylor's jet is frequently loaned out to other individuals, therefore attributing most or all of these trips to her is unequivocally inaccurate.
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Brielle Biermann
Zolciak-Biermann's oldest daughter expressed anger on social media in 2019, claiming that a Delta employee had removed her entire family from the flight to ATL. The incident allegedly occurred because they were waiting for her father and their service dog to complete the security process. In response, Zolciak-Biermann tweeted her dissatisfaction with Delta, stating that the police were now involved.
Contrary to these claims, Delta released a statement to Us, explaining that Mrs. Zolciak Biermann and her family had chosen to disembark the plane voluntarily. This decision was made because her husband had stayed behind to provide the necessary documentation for their emotional support animal.
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Sydney Rae Bass
In April 2023, the sister of Jessie James Decker made headlines when the famous country singer took to social media to share her sister's experience with United Airlines. During the incident, Bass, who was "five months pregnant, considered high risk, and traveling alone with her two young children," was asked by the airline staff to "clean up every single drop" of the popcorn her daughter had accidentally spilled in the aisle.
“My sister, completely humiliated and exhausted, was on her hands and knees in the aisle, tears streaming down her face, surrounded by her children, while the rest of the passengers watched. United, this is a new low,” Decker expressed. The post instantly became a sensation, with numerous individuals engaging in a heated debate over who was at fault – the airline or Decker’s sister.
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Odell Beckham Jr.
The NFL star found himself in a situation that seemed to be a misunderstanding while trying to travel from Miami to Los Angeles.
According to Beckham Jr.'s attorney, he had fallen asleep during the flight with a blanket covering his head, as he typically does on long flights. In November 2022, he was suddenly awakened and informed that the plane had returned to the gate because he hadn't fastened his seatbelt when asked to do so. Beckham Jr. explained that he had been asleep and promised to buckle up immediately. However, he was told that it was too late, and he was given the option to either disembark or have everyone else on the plane do so.
The Miami-Dade police stated that flight attendants alerted authorities and requested police and fire rescue assistance due to concerns about Mr. Beckham's well-being. Upon the arrival of the officers, the flight crew repeatedly asked Mr. Beckham to disembark, but he declined. Eventually, the athlete agreed to leave the aircraft.
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ASAP Rocky
The rapper from ASAP Mob was apprehended at LAX in November 2021 upon arriving in Los Angeles after a vacation in Barbados with his partner, Rihanna. Rocky faced charges of two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, including allegations of personally using a firearm in relation to an incident involving fellow ASAP Mob member Terrell Ephron in 2021. (Us confirmed in August 2022 that the artist known for "Fashion Killa," who was released on $550,000 bail, entered a plea of not guilty.)
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Mayim Bialik
The actress from The Big Bang Theory was taken aback when a flight attendant from United Airlines supposedly closed the boarding gate on her in February 2019. Luckily, she managed to catch her connecting flight in Houston despite the tight schedule. However, she expressed her disappointment as she recalled the flight attendant informing her that there were available seats, only to change her tune upon seeing the actress' carry-on suitcase and abruptly closing the door. The actress further supported her initial claims by mentioning that five other passengers from her flight were also present and allowed to board with their carry-on luggage, which made her wonder if the flight attendant simply had a dislike for The Big Bang Theory.
In response to the allegations made by Bialik, a representative from United informed Us that they promptly arranged for Ms. Bialik to board the next available flight to Los Angeles. Furthermore, they assured that their team in Houston is currently investigating the incident.
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Bethenny Frankel
The former cast member of The Real Housewives of New York City had a close call during a flight when she discovered that the airline was serving fish, which she is allergic to.
"I called the airline multiple times to inform them about my fish allergy. However, when I boarded the plane, they informed me that they couldn't refrain from serving bass," Frankel tweeted in 2019. "I protested against the decision to turn the plane around, as it would inconvenience other passengers. The cabin crew was asked not to serve the fish, and the pilot made an announcement to the entire plane. It was quite an eventful experience. #epilife."
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Keke Palmer
The Nickelodeon alum was not having it when TSA employees at the Houston airport allegedly almost made her throw away her breast milk before boarding the aircraft.
“Breast milk discrimination at the Houston airport completely ruined my mood. I should have discreetly breastfed right then and there because the act of pumping, which should provide me with both discretion and comfort, was thwarted with threats to dispose of over 16oz of my babies' nourishment?!?!!! Why is it not considered a criminal offense??” Palmer expressed her frustration on Twitter in June 2023. “I am a mother, for crying out loud.”
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Brad Pitt
According to court documents obtained in 2022, Jolie claimed that Pitt physically assaulted her during their flight to L.A. in 2016. Allegedly, Pitt forcefully grabbed her shoulders, shook her, and then pushed her into a bathroom wall. The situation escalated when one of their children verbally defended Jolie, prompting Pitt to lunge at the child. In an attempt to intervene, Jolie grabbed Pitt from behind. However, in the process, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane seats, injuring Jolie's back and elbow. The children, showing bravery, rushed in to protect each other. Disturbingly, Pitt proceeded to choke one of the children and strike another in the face. Throughout the incident, some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop, as they were all frightened and many were in tears.
The allegations made headlines, but a source close to Pitt stated that they were "completely false." Pitt was exonerated by the DCFS and the FBI concluded their investigation without pursuing legal action.