An Arizona comedian with disabilities was recently kicked out of a restaurant while he was livestreaming and enjoying lunch. The reason? They told him it was because he was making patrons “uncomfortable,” but they never elaborated.
Posted by Doug2funny_ on TikTok, Doug had been eating and livestreaming, as he typically does with his audience. Suddenly, a waiter approaches him and tells him they’re getting “phone calls from people.” They continue, “You’re making some people here uncomfortable. I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
Shocked, Doug asks who he made uncomfortable, and the waiter repeats himself. Doug tells the waiter he frequents the restaurant and spends a lot of money there. “The way you just approached me wasn’t classy at all.”
Doug tries to make his case, saying he had been minding his own business and sitting there quietly. Doug argues the report likely came from his livestream—lurkers hop in and make a false report even if they aren’t there, like when livestreamers become victims of swatting.
This doesn’t make a difference, and the situation escalates to a police officer asking Doug to leave the restaurant. He’s also told he “can’t come back” to the restaurant under any circumstances and is given a trespassing warning.
After paying for his food, Doug speaks with the police again, and the officer is sympathetic, saying it was “embarrassing” to be called for that. Doug does, however, mention he’s tired of people harassing him just for going live and spreading positivity in public.
The reaction to Doug’s bizarre restaurant experience
Many of Doug’s viewers on TikTok were just as baffled as he was by being kicked out of the restaurant, especially since they gave him no other reason besides people supposedly feeling “uncomfortable.”
Sharing their sympathy, a viewer urged Doug to sue the restaurant. “They’re definitely discriminating against you, I hope you sue them.” Several other commenters suggested the same, with one viewer arguing both discrimination towards a black person and “against disabled ppl.”
A few commenters defended the restaurant’s decision. One viewer argued the restaurant has to “take child abuse seriously” when so many calls are made. As one TikTok user mentioned, Doug had flipped the camera. “Some people don’t want to be recorded.”
Doug has not said in videos or otherwise whether he’ll seek a lawyer. However, he now has his experience documented, which could come in handy if he seeks to sue for discrimination.
