Comedian Arj Barker found himself in a controversy when a breastfeeding mother claimed she was kicked out of his show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival on Saturday.
Trish Faranda, who was asked to leave a comedy concert at the Athenaeum Theater, expressed feeling “humiliated” and “unwanted.” Reports state that Barker had an altercation with the mother after her 7-month-old baby made a few gurgling sounds.
Faranda stated that Barker, known as “Australia’s favorite American comedian,” acknowledged the baby’s noises and then made some comments about the situation. After the child made another “little noise,” the American comedian and actor once again approached the mother and asked her to leave the show.
Barker explained that the baby was disrupting his performance and that the show was advertised as “strictly age 15+”
“People were laughing and I don’t think he was joking. So I said to him, do you actually want me to leave? And Barker said, “Yes I do”,” the mother told 3AW Melbourne. She went on to claim that Barker was intimidating and she “did not feel comfortable to stay.”
About 12 angry audience members left the theatre in support of the mother. A family member of the woman took to social media and thanked those who left the show in protest. The relative also stated that Barker said the couple was ‘ruining his train of thought’ during the performance.
Faranda mentioned to The Age that she had no issues when she brought her infant to watch Australian comedian Dave Hughes.
Responding to the backlash, Barker explained that the baby was disrupting his performance and that the show was advertised as “strictly age 15+”.
Barker criticized theatre staff for allowing the mother with a 7-month-old baby to attend his show, claiming that he politely asked her to leave with the baby. He added that, as she was leaving, he offered her a refund, expressing regret over the incident.
“I felt bad about the whole situation and stated this on the night more than once. I offered her a refund. The theater staff should not have seated a baby in my audience in the first place,” he said.
Following the incident, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival released a statement, stressing that Arj is independently produced and takes place at a location that is not supervised by the festival. It added that any interaction between artists and their fans ought to be respectful and sensitive.
“In our festival managed venues, babes in arms are generally allowed but we do ask people to sit up the back with their child so they can quickly and easily leave if the baby gets noisy, so as not to disturb the artist and other patrons.”
Australian politician Ellen Sandell criticized the situation as ‘awful’ and took to social media to emphasize that it is a woman’s right to participate in society while breastfeeding.
She called on Barker to reflect on his actions and apologize to the mother. Sandell disagreed with a comment from a user who suggested that mothers should leave their babies at home, stating her disagreement.
Meanwhile, some social media users supported Barker, with one commenting, “Fair enough, like he said it was ruining his train of thought good on him.”
“Majority of us are totally supportive of women breastfeeding in public. This does not mean you should be taking a baby to a show like this. The audience having to put up with a crying baby is not on. I’m betting there were other breastfeeding moms there who didn’t bring their child,” another added.
“Why would you take a baby in a comedy show?” one more asked.