Comedian Mark Curry accuses Colorado hotel staffer of racially profiling him - NBC News

Comedian Mark Curry accused a Colorado edifice staffer of racially profiling him arsenic helium sat successful the lobby, an incidental that prompted outrage from celebrities and a committedness from the constitution to refund him aft the histrion posted video of the alleged brushwood connected Instagram.

Curry, who starred successful ABC's “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper” from 1992 to 1997, was staying astatine The Mining Exchange successful Colorado Springs. He was successful the metropolis for performances astatine 3E's Comedy Club connected Friday and Saturday, helium said connected Instagram.

Curry was drinking java erstwhile helium said the worker asked him if helium was a guest. He besides informed him the lobby was private, the comedian said, according to the video.

“All right. So the occupation is I’m successful a edifice lobby and this antheral wants to see, I don’t know,” Curry said astatine the commencement of a 26-minute video helium shared with his 221,000 Instagram followers.

“I’m conscionable asking if you’re a guest,” the staffer replied, a question helium repeated aggregate times successful the video.

NBC News does not cognize what happened earlier Curry started recording.

In the video, Curry asked wherefore helium was being singled retired and to spot the employee’s recognition card.

“If you’re Black and you’re successful Colorado Springs, you can’t beryllium successful the lobby,” helium said. “Wow! This is crazy, isn’t it?”

The worker denied the allegation, saying successful the video that his question had thing to bash with race.

Curry asked him aboriginal successful the video wherefore helium was not questioning achromatic guests successful the lobby. The worker said they paid for drinks.

“Then you’re a patron of the hotel, which I asked you respective times,” helium told Curry.

Video showed the worker lasting successful beforehand of Curry with his hands folded successful beforehand of him. A 2nd staffer was adjacent to him.

“So however agelong are you going to enactment here, buddy?” Curry asked.

“Just erstwhile you reply my question, sir,” the worker said.

A abbreviated clip later, Curry replied: “And I told you, of course, I’m astatine the hotel. Yes.”

He aboriginal asked the worker to backmost up.

“I consciousness threatened from you, your stance and the mode you’re looking astatine me, I consciousness threatened,” Curry said.

The worker did not backmost distant from Curry, who got up and said: “Let’s spot if they travel me. Let’s go.”

Curry had his camera pointed toward him. 

“Get that retired of my face, get it retired of my face,” the worker said.

Curry went to the beforehand table to kick and was told by the receptionist that the worker was an technologist astatine the hotel. 

“Do you person a country fig of immoderate sort? Can I person a past name? They conscionable privation to cognize if you’re a guest. That’s all,” the receptionist said.

When Curry asked why, the receptionist said, “just for safety.”

Curry got connected an elevator and returned to his room.

“I got connected this bulls--- spot and these motherf----- privation to harass maine similar this,” helium said. “When is it going to stop?”

In a statement, edifice officials said they “deeply regret this incident” and volition “revisit training” with their staff.

“We are committed to providing a harmless and inclusive abstraction for each guests and employees,” the connection read. “We profoundly regret this incidental and person reached retired to Mr. Curry to connection not lone our sincere apologies but a afloat refund of his enactment and an invitation to return, astatine nary cost, anytime successful the future. As a respected assemblage partner, we are besides utilizing this accidental to revisit grooming with our staff, helping to guarantee each interactions are reflective of our institution values.”

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts issued a akin statement. The Mining Exchange is simply a Wyndham hotel.

“The hotel’s proprietor and absorption squad are moving to marque this right,” the company wrote connected Twitter connected Sunday.

Neither connection specified if the speech betwixt unit and Curry was mean protocol. The Mining Exchange and Wyndham besides did not disclose the identities of the staffers, their roles oregon imaginable disciplinary enactment against them. They besides did not respond to consequent questions astir the hotel’s protocol and the presumption of the employees successful the video.

A typical for Curry said the comedian had not heard from the edifice arsenic of Monday evening.

Curry’s “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper” co-star, Holly Robinson Peete, reposted the actor’s video to Twitter and came to his defense.

“There was nary crushed for Mark to beryllium singled retired but for the information that he’s a achromatic man,” she wrote. “Since erstwhile bash you person to place yourself sitting successful the lobby drinking coffee.”

Raven-Symoné, who besides starred successful the sitcom, shared her thoughts nether Curry’s Instagram post.

“Shameful! Absolutely disgusting! Love you mark! No 1 deserves this!” she wrote.