Influencer weighing 220 kg says cab driver refused to let her inside car: ‘I got no space’
A plus-sized influencer and music artist has filed a lawsuit against the ride-hailing app Lyft after being refused entry into a cab due to her size.
A plus-sized influencer and music artist has filed a lawsuit against the ride-hailing app Lyft after being refused entry into a cab due to her size. Dank Demoss, whose real name is Dajua Blanding, shared the discriminatory incident in a TikTok video that has since gone viral online.
The Detroit-based rapper filmed her encounter with the Lyft driver, who reportedly refused to let her into his car, claiming his tyres could not handle her weight. In an interview with Fox News Detroit, she revealed that she had taken legal action against Lyft for denying her service on the grounds of her weight – a characteristic her lawyers argue is protected under Michigan law.
Unverified reports suggest that Lyft has terminated the driver, identified only as Abraham, following the viral complaint.
Lyft refused to confirm this development when HT.com reached out to the company for a statement, saying it could not comment on specific incidents involving pending litigation.
“Lyft unequivocally condemns all forms of discrimination—we believe in a community where everyone is treated with equal respect and mutual kindness. Our community guidelines and terms of service explicitly prohibit harassment or discrimination,” said Lyft in a statement to HT.com.
Here’s what happened
Last week, rapper Dank Demoss shared a video showing a Lyft driver refusing to let her inside his vehicle. “I’m sorry. I got no space at all, my car is small,” the driver told Demoss, who repeatedly claimed that she could fit inside the car.
In her interview with Fox News, the Detroit-based artist claimed that she had sat in cars smaller than the Lyft cab. Dank Demoss weighs 489 pounds (221.8 kg approximately), but says that her weight does not prevent her from riding in cabs.
“I can fit in this car,” she told the driver, who replied, “Believe me you can’t.”
The driver told the plus-sized influencer that he would cancel her booking and she would not be charged. He also claimed that his tyres could not handle her weight.
Dank Demoss repeatedly claimed that she could fit inside the car as she filmed her encounter with the driver, who apologised for not allowing her inside but stood firm on his decision. He also advised the rapper to order an Uber XL. Demoss, on the other hand, claimed that she had never had to order an Uber XL.
“I’ve been in cars smaller than that, you know,” she told Fox News. “The kicker part was when he started to talk about his tyres. That was a slap in the face,” she added.
Support for the driver
Lyft responded to Dank Demoss’s video saying the driver’s behaviour was “unacceptable” and promising to look into the matter. However, she found little support elsewhere on social media.
On platforms like X and Instagram, where her clip was viewed thousands of times, public sentiment was largely in favour of the driver. Many criticised the rapper for getting him fired.
“So huge she got out of breath talking and trying to ruin this driver’s life,” read one post on X. “The driver is right,” another said.
“As a driver myself, if you feel uncomfortable for ANY reason you have a right to refuse service. PERIOD. No matter what, it is YOUR car and your rules. He shouldn't have gotten fired for that,” an Instagram user said.
Comments under the rapper’s recent Instagram posts also supported the driver.
However, a number of people also spoke out in Blanding’s support.
“I just feel like if these are the rules and regulations of the company then they should be somewhere in fine print. You can’t work for a company and make your own rules, this is discrimination at its finest,” said one Instagram user.
“It's not that he denied the ride it's how he went about it, he could've been courteous offered to cancel for a various of reasons in a professional manner and he wouldn't have been wrong at all,” another opined.
