Airbnb has banned a host in New York City after her racist exchange with five black guests went viral over the weekend.
According to The Washington Post, the woman—listed on Airbnb as Kate—kicked 28-year-old Kenneth Simpson and his friends out of the Upper East Side home around 2 a.m. Saturday, saying she felt threatened and calling them “criminals.”
“Which monkey is gonna stay on the couch?” she asked at one point.
The group recorded the incident, posting two videos on Twitter.
— TooN (@Kartoon_1911) June 1, 2019
“I felt very dehumanized. I thought, is this where we are today? We made a point that we’re educated, working professionals,” Simpson told The Post. “And it doesn’t even matter if you’re an educated person because no one deserves to be called a monkey and be dehumanized for no reason.”
Airbnb responded to the Twitter post, calling the woman’s language “unacceptable” and confirming that she’s been banned from the home-sharing platform.
“The language is unacceptable and has no place in the Airbnb community. We’ve removed the host from our platform and are supporting the guests with a new place to stay. We’re thankful to them for bringing this to our attention so we could take action,” the company said in a statement.
The language is unacceptable and has no place in the Airbnb community. We’ve removed the host from our platform and are supporting the guests with a new place to stay. We’re thankful to them for bringing this to our attention so we could take action.
— Airbnb (@Airbnb) June 2, 2019
Simpson called the weekend a “lose-lose situation” as he and his friends weren’t able to find a hotel until around 5 or 6 a.m. Saturday, just hours before check-out time. He said Airbnb connected them to another listing but it was canceled at the last minute.
This isn’t the first time Airbnb has come under fire for alleged discrimination. In 2016, the company rolled out an Open Doors policy that states “if a guest anywhere in the world feels like they have been discriminated against in violation of our policy—in trying to book a listing, having a booking canceled, or in any other interaction with a host—we will find that guest a similar place to stay if one is available on Airbnb, or if not, we will find them an alternative accommodation elsewhere.”
In April, Airbnb took heat after a family found a hidden camera in the home they were renting in Cork, Ireland.