Will.i.am Confronted by Police After Incident With '#RacistFlightattendant'

Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am was met by five police officers upon disembarking a plane in Sydney, Australia, Friday following an incident with a Qantas flight attendant whom he called “racist.”

“I’m currently on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney. I’m sorry to say me and my group have experienced they worse service due to a overly aggressive flight attendant… I don’t want to believe she racist. But she has clearly aimed all her frustrations only at the people of colour,” he wrote in a Friday tweet.

According to Will.i.am’s tweets, he couldn’t hear the attendant’s announcements over the PA system because he was wearing noise-canceling headphones.

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“@Qantas I was making music wearing noise canceling headphones on the plane… I’m sorry i couldn’t hear the P.A…I complied when she’s tapped me on the shoulder to put my laptop away… It’s sad that your #RacistFlightAttendant sent the police…” will.i.am wrote.

I’m currently on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney.

I’m sorry to say me and my group have experienced they worse service due to a overly aggressive flight attendant…

I don’t want to believe she racist.
But she has clearly aimed all her frustrations only at the people of colour

— will.i.am (@iamwill) November 16, 2019

Tagging the airline, he went on to write, “@Qantas Your #RacistFlightattendant was beyond rude & took it to the next level by calling the police on me. thank god the other passengers testified that SHE was out of Control the police finally let me go. imagine if the police were as aggressive.”

He added, “I was intimidated by 5 police officers when I landed…for what? I put away my laptop when she asked…why would she feel threatened by me to call the police? What did I do wrong? I wasn’t out of hand.. I was polite & did what she asked… now you’re asking me to take abuse?”

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In a subsequent tweet, the musician identified the flight attendant by name, prompting many on Twitter to lash out at her. Will.i.am very quickly called for that to stop.

“Please do not send Hate,” he wrote, addressing his fans. “This type of disrespect and name calling is uncalled for…I don’t support abuse & attacks like this…I hope that everyone can be more compassionate & understanding towards one another…because it was the lack of compassion that caused this.”

A Qantas spokesperson responded to the incident in a statement to The Independent: “There was a misunderstanding on board, which seems to have been exacerbated by will.i.am wearing noise cancelling headphones and not being able to hear instructions from crew. We completely reject the suggestion this had anything to do with race. We’ll be following up with will.i.am and wish him well for the rest of the tour.”

Inside Aly Raisman, Julian Edelman, and the Black Eyed Peas' Pre-ESPYs Bash (Photos)

The "BODY at ESPYs" party took over the Avalon, just north of Hollywood and Vine on Tuesday night (July 11), making athletes and Hollywood teammates for the night.

Here, Olympic heroes Aly Raisman and Lyndsey Vonn stroll the carpet together.
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The Black Eyed Peas' Apl.de.Ap and Taboo represented the "Hollywood" side of the equation, while ...
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Zach Levi and figure skater Ashley Wagner illustrated the cross-glamour-industry chemistry of the night.

Also Read: ESPN the Magazine Body Issue: See Julian Edelman, Javier Baez, Caroline Wozniacki and More Pose Nude (Photos)
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Inside, it was a typically lush ESPN environment (produced by Hollywood's go-to, Tony Schubert). The cocktails, beer, and tray-passed tacos are probably not on any team nutritionist's meal plan.
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Lamar Odom (who transitioned from sports to Hollywood via the Kardashians) appears to have recovered from his alleged near-death experience in a Nevada brothel. While he slipped in to the BODY bash by slyly walking behind the reporters on the carpet, he posed for pics at a competing bash at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
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Back at Avalon, the crowd was dotted with ESPN on-air personalities and execs, like Hannah Storm and LZ Granderson (pictured), and the brand's EVP of Content, Connor Schell.

Also Read: ESPN Names Connor Schell as Executive Vice President, Content
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All of these people were brought together by this woman: Alison Overholt. She is the Editor-In-Chief of ESPN The Magazine. Working on this issue, featuring buff athletes from all sports photographed in the buff, is a year-round gig.

"We want to make sure we really make a big splash with this. One of the people I most excited to get this year was AJ Andrews, professional softball player. She is the first woman ever to get the gold glove in history. "
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Here's Andrews showing off her feature. "She's just luminous, she just literally leaps off the page," Overholt told TheWrap. "Softball is back in the 2020 Olympics," Andrews later told The Party Report when we relayed the compliments. "I'm really excited to tell my story,"
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There are also big names baring all. Cowboys breakout Ezekiel Elliott shows off his shot, one of the nine covers. Inside, we caught him eating a macaroni ball.
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Super Bowl hero Julian Edelman was one of the biggest stars at the party, and one of the most humble. The tough guy in a little package recorded videos on a cell phone for ESPN's internal social media channels before heading inside.

Also Read: ESPN the Magazine Body Issue: See Julian Edelman, Javier Baez, Caroline Wozniacki and More Pose Nude (Photos)
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Flashback: Edelman loves the off season. In addition to attending the opening of TAO/Avenue/Beauty&Essex here in Hollywood in March, he also hit up the Kentucky Derby with Kid Rock and Guy Fieri in May.
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Patriots outnumbered all other teams. Rather incognito, that's James White on the left. He is the running back who scored the Super Bowl-winning touchdown in overtime a few months ago. On the right, fellow Patriot backfielder Dion Lewis.
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What's he doing here? Fox TV personality Jay Glazer was a surprising guest, stepping in to rival ESPN's territory. He escorted retired marine Kirstie Ennis, a 2018 Paralympic snowboarding hopeful who is featured in the magazine.
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Jacksonville Jaguar Marcedes Lewis auditioned for E!'s "Fashion Police."
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Skier Gus Kenworthy also straddles the line between sports and Hollywood. He appeared on MTV and Bunim-Murray's long-running "The Challenge" earlier this summer, competing with Lolo Jones and CM Punk against reality vets like C.T., Wes Bergmann, and Cara Maria Sorbello.
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Prince Fielder looks like he's enjoying his first free summer since he was a child. The 33-year-old former baseball star attended with his wife, Chanel.
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"Hip Hop Hooray": Naughty By Nature headlined the party, playing their own hits and some from RUN-DMC.
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Lindsey Vonn had a busy Tuesday night, also attending the Playmakers Party party at Viva Hollywood, where DJ Vice kept her and countless guests dancing til 2 a.m. -- with a little help from Budweiser and Decada Tequila, of course.
David J. Levin Photography
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman showed off her red carpet style and best moves with Vonn, as the pair danced up a storm.
David J. Levin Photography
Former "Bachelorette" contestant Lucas Yancey added plenty of "Wa-boom!" to the Playmakers Party party at Viva Hollywood, where he finally got to be the one to hand out red roses to the girls!
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Earlier in the day, the "OPP" trio hit up Gavin Keilly's GBK suite in Beverly Hills with the host (center, in stripes) and Tony Hawk.
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There, U.S. Women's Hockey Captain Meghan Duggan and retired NFL QB Matt Leinart hauled off swag in hockey-sized bags. Top swag: Trips to Sailrock in Turks and Caicos.
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At GBK's suite, guests could scout for upcoming fantasy football drafts in person: Both Brandon Marshall (who scored Crown of Light Diamonds, and wore them to the ESPYs that night) and Demaryius Thomas look ready for training camp.
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Actor Anthony Anderson perfected the sporty look for the Talent Resources Sports Dinner on Tuesday evening. Hosted by Martell Cognac at Playboy headquarters in Beverly Hills, the event was hosted by the "Black-ish" star.
Tibrina Hobson | Getty Images for Talent Resources Sports

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Naughty by Nature performed at ESPN the Magazine’s athlete-packed “BODY at ESPYs” bash in Hollywood Tuesday, the night before the worldwide leader’s awards show

The "BODY at ESPYs" party took over the Avalon, just north of Hollywood and Vine on Tuesday night (July 11), making athletes and Hollywood teammates for the night.

Here, Olympic heroes Aly Raisman and Lyndsey Vonn stroll the carpet together.

View In Gallery

Inside Aly Raisman, Julian Edelman, and the Black Eyed Peas' Pre-ESPYs Bash (Photos)

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