A comedian sparked controversy after asking a breastfeeding mother and her baby to leave his comedy show in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The comedian, Pete Davidson, said in a statement posted to his Instagram that a baby sat a few rows away from the stage was “talking” at the start of his show, prompting him to make a few jokes about it. However, when the baby “called out again,” Davidson became concerned and asked the mother to leave.
The mother, Trish Faranda, said she left the show feeling humiliated, adding that she had gone to the comedy show because it was something she did “pre-kids and always really enjoyed.” Faranda said that she attended the Melbourne International Comedy Festival show with a game plan to leave if her 7-month-old, Clara, became “disruptive.”
Davidson did not address potential heckling, but mentioned in his statement that his decision to ask the mother to leave had nothing to do with if she was breastfeeding or not.
“For the record, I support public breastfeeding, as it’s perfectly natural,” he said.
The comedian did not apologize to Faranda for asking her to leave, but said he feels bad “for any upset it has caused the parties involved, or my fans, or babies.”
“I’ve nothing against babies, in fact I was one once, for almost 2 years,” Davidson said.
