Bebe Rexha says she was banned from flight for speaking Albanian and accuses airline of ‘hate crime’

Singer was left distraught and said an apology wasn’t ‘gonna cut it this time’

Bebe Rexha has shared a tearful video to her social media after she alleged she was discriminated against and banned from a flight for speaking Albanian.

The 34-year-old “Meant to Be” singer was due to board the Munich-based Lufthansa plane on Saturday (17 August) when the incident occurred. She is known for her own hit singles as well as her songwriting for artists including Selena Gomez, Rihanna, and Eminem.

“I’ve been threatened because I thought the security agent was Albanian,” the singer captioned a video of her in tears, posted to her Instagram Story shortly after the event.

“I spoke to him in Albanian asking where to get my ticket and now he is banning me from the flight.”

In a second post expanding on the incident, she explained “I believe this to be a hate crime because I am Albanian.”

She continued, “[The supervisor] would not let me take his name. He continued to mentally abuse me to make me feel like he was more powerful then [sic] he was. Not one of the women at @Lufthansa stepped in or said something.”

Rexha provided an update on Sunday (18 August) as said she had been left exhausted by the incident.

“I have never been so emotionally drained. @Lufthansa has direct messaged me but I urge them to do a full investigation on finding out who this man who was abusing his power is. An ‘I’m sorry’ is not gonna cut it this time,” she wrote.

Rexha was left distraught after the interaction (Instagram/BebeRexha)

After the experience, the “I’m Good” singer shared a final update on Sunday letting her followers know she had made it home.

“Thank you everyone who messaged me and showed concern. I got home safe, thank God.”

The Independent contacted Lufthansa for comment, who responded: “We reached out to Bebe Rexha and are in direct contact with her to understand the situation. As an international airline, we connect people and countries around the globe.

“Our guests and employees come from all over the world. Diversity and equal opportunity are core values for our company and our corporate culture. We do not tolerate any discriminatory behavior of any kind.”

The musician has had a tough few weeks as she shared her thoughts about the music industry on social media earlier this year.

“I could bring down a BIG chunk of this industry. I AM frustrated. I Have been UNDERMINED. I’ve been so quiet for the longest time,” she wrote in a post on X/Twitter in July.

“I haven’t seen the signs even though people constantly are bringing them up and they have been SO OBVIOUS. And when I have spoken up I’ve been silenced and PUNISHED by this industry. Things must change,” she added, threatening to tell “all of my truths. The good the bad and the ugly.”