At a press conference in 2022, comedian Eric Andre alleges he was racially profiled by Clayton County Police during a layover at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia in 2020. (Source: Screenshot - 11Alive)

Comedians Eric Andre and Clayton English appeal racial profiling lawsuit dismissal

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ATLANTA — Comedians Eric Andre and Clayton English have filed an appeal in connection to a lawsuit against Clayton County Police, alleging racial profiling at an Atlanta airport in 2020.

Court documents from 2022 reveal that Andre’ and English were part of a group of over 400 passengers stopped by officers from Clayton’s specialized Airport Interdiction Unit over an eight-month period, according to the Policing Project at NYU Law.

The complaint suggests that Black passengers were unfairly targeted by the police. The lawsuit alleges that more than half of the people stopped by the officers at the airport were Black.


On April 21, 2020, Andre was traveling back to Los Angeles from South Carolina where he had wrapped up a shoot on HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones.” He was stopped after a layover in Atlanta. Authorities stopped English on Oct. 30, 2020 while flying from Atlanta his home in Atlanta to Los Angeles for work, the original lawsuit stated.

Both comedians were blocked by authorities as they tried to enter the jet bridge, and were asked if they were carrying illegal drugs. They were asked to hand over their boarding passes and identification.

Several celebrities, including Jamie Foxx, Taraji P. Henson, and Tyler Perry have expressed support for Andre and English.

A date for the appeal to be heard in court has not been set.

More on the appeal and racial profiling claims against Clayton County Police.

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