Comedian sparks controversy after expelling mother and baby from audience in Australia

American comedian Arj Barker, known for his observational and satirical style, sparked controversy when he ejected a mother and her 7-month-old baby from a show in Australia.

The case happened during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, on Saturday night (20). Others in the audience left the show in solidarity with her mother, while others allegedly approached her as she left.

The case has sparked a fierce debate in Australia over the rights of mothers to take their babies wherever they want, and the right of artists to perform without interruptions from babies, who some argue should be left at home.

Barker defended his decision to ask Trish Faranda and her daughter, Clara, to leave the event, which specified a minimum age of 15.

Speaking to Melbourne radio station 3AW on Monday (22), he highlighted that it was “not easy” to expel the baby, but he “did it for the event” and for the public, who deserved to see what they paid for uninterruptedly.

“I can understand that it was difficult and embarrassing for her and I feel bad about it,” Barker added.

Show interrupted

The Californian comedian, a constant presence on the international comedy circuit, was performing in front of hundreds of people at the Athenaeum Theater when the baby's noises interrupted his train of thought, Barker explained to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

“On behalf of the other 700 people who paid to see the show, I politely told her that the baby couldn’t stay,” he told the national broadcaster.

He stressed that he could not see that the mother was breastfeeding, due to the bright lights in the theater, and denied criticism that his decision was related to anything other than the noise.

“I have nothing against babies – firstly, the breastfeeding issue is not an issue and I had no idea whether she was breastfeeding or not because I was on a lit stage,” Barker told Nine News affiliate CNN.

“All I could see was a woman probably holding a baby – breastfeeding was never part of it. If she was her father, I would have acted exactly the same way, it had to do with the baby's noise,” she added.

“It was purely a noise problem, it had nothing to do with her being a mother, I have nothing against mothers”, she highlighted.

“Humiliated”, says mother

Faranda told several local media outlets that she initially thought it was just a joke when Barker asked her and her daughter to leave the show.

As he commented to Seven News, an affiliate network of CNN, In the middle of the performance, the comedian stopped and said: “Is there a baby here?”

Then Barker allegedly said, “'I speak 'baby' fluently, and he said, 'Take me out,'” Faranda recalled, adding that she laughed, not knowing if he was serious.

The woman highlighted that her baby “wasn’t screaming” and began breastfeeding him to try to calm him down, but at that point she was also getting ready to leave the fourth row of the theater.

“I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s night, it was never my intention to disturb people or create a scene,” he explained to Seven News.

“He was intimidating and was right in front of me,” he noted to 3AW. A witness who spoke to Nine News highlighted that some people in the audience approached her mother to ask her to leave.

Faranda noted that she watched the show with a group of friends, and about a dozen other people, all women who were mothers or grandmothers, as well as a “lovely gentleman”, came out in solidarity with her.

'Losing Yourself' After Having Children

The incident sparked sympathy for the mother, who stated she was just trying to have a fun night, while others argued it was a good lesson for the audience, no matter how young, to avoid distracting the performers.

When asked on 3AW if she would go to one of Barker's shows again, Faranda said: “No, and the sad thing is I've been to a lot of his shows before [de ter as] kids, and you kind of lose yourself a little bit when you have kids, and I was just trying to get back to [fazer] something I enjoyed before having children.”

Australian politician Ellen Sandell commented that she was “furious” when she heard about the incident.

“It's already difficult for new mothers to participate in society with all the barriers placed in front of them. Being humiliated like that, for just trying to enjoy the comedy show, is horrible”, comments Sandell on X.

To people who say the baby should have been left at home, she highlighted: “Women have the right to participate in society while breastfeeding.”

“A note for men who don't understand: When a baby is breastfeeding, you literally have to be attached to them most of the time and can't be separated for more than an hour or so,” he added.

“So if you don’t allow babies [amamentados] in public places, you are, in effect, saying that women/mothers are not allowed in those places”, he pondered.

One user responded to her on

In a Facebook post, Barker thanked her followers for agreeing with her decision, with several people commenting below that the mother did the right thing.

“In full support! This has nothing to do with breastfeeding, it's an adult comedy. It's not a Wiggles show! What the hell was she thinking?,” said one of her followers.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, of which Barker was part of the program, noted: “Any interaction between artists and their audience requires sensitivity and respect”.

“At our Festival-run venues, lap babies are generally allowed, but we ask people to sit in the back seat with their child so they can get out quickly and easily if the baby makes noise, so as not to disturb the artist and other patrons. ”, warned the statement.