John Barrowman has sparked a backlash after complaining about the lack of amenities during a recent business class flight. The 59-year-old actor deleted a video showing him venting about not receiving complimentary pyjamas, after viewers branded the post “entitled” and called him a “diva”.
Actor criticises airline service
The former Dancing On Ice judge filmed himself from his business class seat on an American Airlines flight, criticising the service after claiming cabin crew had failed to provide him with the free PJs. John was travelling with his father and husband when he recorded the now-deleted clip, in which he complained about what he described as “shady” treatment from flight staff.
He said: "Hi American [Airlines] we have paid for the flagship service. Three of us. My father and my husband behind and the tickets were very expensive and we get on thinking we’d get pyjamas with the flagship service. Then you apparently only give them to the first two rows in business class flagship service. What’s that all about? So far you’re not batting very high. Meal order wrong and then told we don’t have exactly what everyone else is getting on the flight when we all have flagship service. Can you explain? Thank you."
Fans divided over complaint
John added: "I find that shady and bad customer service. You’re supposed to be pushing this flagship and at the moment it’s not hitting the ball out of the park." Instead of fans showing sympathy, it sparked a huge backlash. One person said: "The entitlement is off the scale." "Our thoughts are with John Barrowman at this difficult time," another said, while a follower commented: "Stop moaning about a pair of pyjamas, if you paid business class you can afford a pair yourself!"
While the messages posted on the social media platform were sent to humble the Doctor Who star, others appeared to agree with him expecting to receive a high-end service if he paid for it. "To be fair if you pay a lot of money for a service then I’d expect the service I paid for," a Twitter user replied, as a commenter added: "I’m in no way a fan of John Barrowman, but how do people have an issue with him asking for something he’s paid for?"
Career struggles revealed
Last year, John revealed that he had tried to commit suicide after his career came crashing down in 2021 following allegations that he exposed himself while on set of the Doctor Who spin off Torchwood. Speaking to the Daily Mail in December, he reflected: "You're looking at the dashboard of the car, and you've got your head in your hands, and you're thinking, 'How am I going to get out of this? I don't see myself coming out of this.' You don't see what’s around you. You're just focused on where you are at that moment, and I'm thinking, 'Can I drive the car into something? Can I pull into traffic and go head-on into something? Can I drive it off the edge of a cliff?' Unfortunate thing: I've got a Tesla. It will stop."
Since the allegations, John has rebuilt his career and appeared on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and also starred in the theatre production of Laid Bare.
