Actor Brian T. Jackson was kicked off a US Airways flight Monday for being disruptive, but the actor and his rep have a very different story of how the events unfolded. Jackson said that he was not the person being too loud on the plan and that a flight attendant called him the ‘n-word.’
“The disruptive behavior started with loud music being played by Mr. Jackson at his seat,” US Airways told CNN in a statement. The airline said that Jackson was asked to turn his music down, but then he continued his “erratic behavior,” so the crew decided to stop serving him alcohol. “If the crew determines to no longer serve alcohol to a customer, then their decision is definitive at that point,” the statement read.
However, Jackson’s rep said that this was not the case. Jackson had walked to the back to try to get a sandwich for himself and a person he was sitting with. At that point, he was told that passengers thought he was being disruptive. “The flight attendant told him to sit down and 'I don't care if you're Obama's son,' then used a derogatory word -- seemingly in jest,” the rep stated.
US Airways stood by what the crew did, noting that their actions were “in line with federal regulations and our policies.” The airline also denied allegations that the attendant used a racial slur.
Jackson was going from New York to Phoenix, where he was getting a connecting flight to Los Angeles. Since the attendant told the pilot a passenger was being disruptive, that message was given to Phoenix authorities. According to The Associated Press, Jackson was taken by Phoenix police at the airport, but he was released a short time later since he didn’t commit a crime. He then took a flight to Los Angeles Tuesday.
While Jackson was still on the plane, he complained about the incident on Twitter as it unfolded. Other passengers have come forward to support his side of the story, noting that he didn’t appear to be drunk or disruptive.
“I realize this was just one flight attendant acting inappropriately and I appreciate the support of the other passengers, US Airways staff at the Phoenix airport, and the Phoenix airport police,” Jackson said in another statement to CNN.
Jackson is best known for his part in Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder and recently appeared in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.
image: Wikimedia Commons
