A Michigan woman called for a Lyft ride but instead got a blatant rejection over her weight.
Dajua Blanding, with a stage persona known as Dank Demoss, shared the moment where a driver told her she was too big to fit in his Mercedes-Benz and his “tires were not capable.”
Her video quickly led to online controversy, with people either taking the driver's or the woman's side.
Highlights
- Dajua Blanding, known as rapper Dank Demoss, shared a video of a Lyft driver denying her a ride.
- “I can fit in this car,” she said in a viral video shared on social media.
- “Believe me, you can’t,” responded the driver. “ … I’m sorry. I’m going to cancel.”
- Lyft acknowledged the incident and said they are “disheartened” by the “driver’s unacceptable behavior.”
Dajua Blanding, a.k.a. Dank Demoss, shared her tale of being turned down by a Lyft driver on social media
Image credits: dankdemoss
“It hurt my feelings,” said the rapper, who revealed she weighs nearly 489 lbs.
As Demoss spoke about the incident, she revealed that she requested the ride to go to her cousin’s house to watch the Lions playoff game.
When the driver showed up, he allegedly took a look at her and immediately locked the doors, denying her entry into his Mercedes-Benz sedan.
“I can fit in this car,” Demoss was heard saying in a video she posted on January 19.
Image credits: dankdemoss
“Believe me, you can’t,” responded the driver. “ … I’m sorry. I’m going to cancel. You’re not going to be charged.”
The rapper said she could fit in his car and has had no problem riding in vehicles of a similar size.
However, the driver insisted that his car was too small and “his tires were not capable,” she told TMZ.
“I can fit in this car,” the Detroit rapper was heard saying in the viral video
Image credits: dankdemoss
“I’ve been in this situation before,” the driver said in the video.
“So every big person, you turn down because they can’t fit in your car?” asked the rap artist, who calls herself “PAID PHAT QUEEN” in her Instagram bio.
After apologizing, the driver suggested she order herself a larger vehicle, like an Uber XL, to get around.
“I just feel like y’all treat big pple like shyt [sic] like we don’t belong here,” Demoss said
Image credits: dankdemoss
“AM I WRONG ? @lyft what yall got to say about this yall driver discriminated against me,” Demoss wrote in the caption as she shared her video.
“I JUST FEEL LIKE YALL TREAT BIG PPLE LIKE SHYT [sic] LIKE WE DONT BELONG HERE,” she added.
Her video sparked mixed views online, with one saying: “Most drivers, would’ve canceled the ride and left her standing out there. At least he was honest even though she’s in denial.”
Lyft acknowledged the incident and said they are “disheartened” by the “driver's unacceptable behavior”
Image credits: dankdemoss
Image credits: dankdemoss
“Yall love to throw out the word sue……. This man is protecting his car. If I was her driver I probably would’ve said the same thing,” one said.
“Love her to death but he has the right to protect his only means of transportation i had a friend her size and she messed up a another friends car it said but at least he wasnt rude,” read a third comment.
Image credits: dankdemoss
"We gotta start being honest man. This is why shame is needed in society,” another social media user said.
Others were Team Demoss, with one saying: “He needs too [sic] lose his job.”
“He messed up when he said to order a xl and when he said his tires were too tired,” commented another. “I’m disappointed in @lyft.”
The plus-size artist's story sparked mixed opinions online, with some supporting her while others sided with the driver
Image credits: dankdemoss
Lyft responded to the Detroit rapper in the comments section and said they were “disheartened” by the incident.
“We're disheartened to look at this driver's unacceptable behavior,” the rideshare company said. “Please DM us at your earliest convenience for additional support. We'd like to address this as soon as possible.”
Following the incident, Demoss took action to file a lawsuit against Lyft.
“I knew that it was illegal, and I knew that it was wrong,” attorney Jonathan Marko said
Image credits: dankdemoss
“I've been in cars smaller than that. I just want them to know that it hurt my feelings,” she told FOX 2.
Her attorneys Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan defended the client.
“I knew that it was illegal, and I knew that it was wrong,” Marko told the outlet.
Image credits: dankdemoss
The disappointed Lyft customer thanked her lawyers Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan in helping her take legal action against the rideshare company.
“Thank you to my lawyers Marko and Zach Runyan. Fighting for my community my people and making change to the world, not just for me but everyone,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Thank you to my team and all the support I’m getting,” she added.
Demoss's video of being rejected by the Lyft driver garnered more than 575K views on Instagram
Lyft released a statement following the incident, saying it “condemns all forms of discrimination.”
“Lyft unequivocally condemns all forms of discrimination—we believe in a community where everyone is treated with equal respect and mutual kindness,” the company said.
“Our community guidelines and terms of service explicitly prohibit harassment or discrimination.”
The state of Michigan characterizes discrimination based on weight as “unlawful.”
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights has revealed on its website that they have the “authority” to “accept complaints based on unlawful consideration of religion, race, color, national origin, arrest record, genetic information, sex, age, height, weight, marital status and disability.”
The incident triggered a flood of conversations online about who was in the wrong
