'SNL' Star Leslie Jones Claims L.A.'s Ritz-Carlton Doesn't Like Black People
Comedian Leslie Jones had a blast hosting Sunday’s BET Awards in Los Angeles ― but according to a tweet from her on Monday, an unpleasant experience at the Ritz-Carlton killed the night.
Wow was such a great night at the BET awards. But then had THE WORST STAY @RitzCarlton DO NOT STAY THERE!! THEY DONT LIKE BLACK PEOPLE!!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) June 26, 2017
Jones had clearly been enjoying herself as a first-time emcee of the BET Awards, but her hosting high was ended by a seemingly race-fueled negative experience during her stay at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles that night.
The star didn’t expound on the issue that led to Monday’s tweet. But hours later, the company apologized to Jones via Twitter and asked the comedian to send it a direct message through the microblogging site.
We’re very sorry to hear this. We pride ourselves on providing excellent service to all. Please DM us & we’ll look into this right away.
— The Ritz-Carlton (@RitzCarlton) June 27, 2017
A representative of Ritz-Carlton declined to comment on the specifics of Jones’ complaint but said in an email to HuffPost Tuesday that the company remained committed to providing an environment where all feel welcome.
“Diversity and inclusion are part of the fabric of The Ritz-Carlton culture and operations,” the statement read. “While we do not comment publicly about individual guests, we take every guest concern seriously and work quickly to resolve issues.”
HuffPost has also reached out to Jones’ team for comment.
Jones, who’s also a “Saturday Night Live” cast member, spoke out with a tweet last June about an absence of designers offering to dress her for the premiere of the “Ghostbusters” remake, in which she was one of several female leads.
It's so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress for movie. Hmmm that will change and I remember everything
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) June 28, 2016
She later received an offer from designer Christian Siriano, but would find herself having to speak out again a month later after being targeted by racist social media trolls, including right-wing extremist Milo Yiannopoulos. Not only was she called a bevy of derogatory names, some sent her nude photos, she said.
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Ok I have been called Apes, sent pics of their asses,even got a pic with semen on my face. I'm tryin to figure out what human means. I'm out
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016
Jones closed her Twitter account for a few days and was forthright about the painful experience and the reality of racism in America.
This story has been updated with comment from Ritz Carlton.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.