Featured Image Credit: Robert Prezioso/Getty Images / Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Topics: Parenting, Viral, Entertainment, Australia
Emily Brown
Topics: Parenting, Viral, Entertainment, Australia
The mom of a seven-month-old baby has spoken out after comedian Arj Barker asked her to leave his gig in Melbourne.
And no, he wasn't joking.
The incident took place on Sunday (21 April), when Barker was performing at the Athenaeum Theatre as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
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The woman, Trish Faranda, had taken her baby with her as she went to watch Barker's set, but the comedian told her 'the baby couldn't stay'.
In a statement on Instagram, Barker said the show was advertised as 'strictly age 15+', and indicated the baby was disrupting the performance.
He wrote: "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."
Faranda, who was allegedly breastfeeding when Barker told her to leave, told 3AW after the incident that she felt 'humiliated' over what had happened.
Sharing her own side of the story, Faranda claimed the baby had 'gurgled a little bit, probably the equivalent to someone coughing', and that Barker had initially joked about the noise.
Faranda pointed out she had intentionally booked seats at the front of the theatre and to the side so she could make a quick exit if the baby did get too loud.
“I didn’t want to impact other people, people were out to have a good night," she said.
Faranda noted that 'people weren't turning their heads' at the noise her child, adding: "She wasn’t screaming — she was just being a baby."
However, she described Barker as being 'intimidating' as he spoke to her, recalling that he was 'standing right in front' of her.
She ultimately adhered to Barker's request and left the show, and felt 'blessed' to see that about a dozen people left the show with her in solidarity.
This wasn't the first time the mom had taken her baby to a show, though she noted her experience watching Dave Hughes perform was very different as he had 'moved on like a true professional'.
In a statement addressing the matter, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival said it was aware of the incident but that it was not responsible for the event itself.
A spokesperson for the festival said: "Arj is independently produced and at a venue not managed by the festival, however, any interaction between performers and their audiences requires 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."
Barker said he offered Faranda a refund due to her having to leave the show, but pointed out: "Had the show policy been adhered to, this situation would not have occurred."
UNILAD has reached out to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Athenaeum Theatre for additional comment.