Breastfeeding mother asked to leave Arj Barker’s comedy show in Melbourne

A breastfeeding mother was asked to leave out of a Melbourne comedy show on Saturday. The woman said she felt “humiliated” and “unwanted” during Arj Barker’s show at the Athenaeum Theatre after the US comedian asked her to leave his show.

Trish said she left the show feeling embarrassed and was supported by seven or eight audience members who walked out in solidarity. She told 3AW Morning with Tom Elliot, “He was intimidating and he was standing right in front of me. She was just being a baby, she gurgled a little bit, she had a bit of whing, nothing super loud. I didn’t feel comfortable to stay.”

However, the US comedian defended his actions and said he made a difficult but necessary decision. Barker said the show was advertised as “strictly age 15+” and that the seven-month-old was disturbing the performance.

“On behalf of the other 700 people there who had paid to see the gig, I politely told her the baby couldn’t stay. She thought I was kidding which made the exchange a bit awkward,” he said. “The baby wasn’t crying and screaming, but in the Athenaeum, sounds (does) travel and you can hear the drop of a pin,” he added.

Barker said he offered the woman a refund as he felt bad about the situation. He said, “It’s unfortunate about any embarrassment it caused her or her family, but again, had the show policy been adhered to, this situation would not have occurred.”

Some audience members heckled Trish when she was asked to leave. She said, “Nobody wants to feel unwanted and when you are basically getting booed out of a place you definitely feel unwanted.” She said she attended Dave Hughes’ comedy show last week and there were no issues. “It didn’t seem to impact him,” she said.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival also commented on the situation. They said, “Arj is independently produced and at a venue not managed by the Festival, however, any interaction between performers and their audiences require sensitivity and respect. In our Festival managed venues, babes in arms are generally allowed but we do ask people to sit up the back with their child so they can quickly and easily leave if the baby gets noisy so as not to disturb the artist and other patrons.”

(With inputs from agencies)