The American Airlines reclining seat controversy just got way more complicated thanks to a shocking move by one of the parties involved.
Wendi Williams, the woman made famous last week after she uploaded a now-viral video to the Internet showing the American Airlines passenger behind her punching her fully reclined seat, is out for blood.
In an exclusive interview with TMZ over the weekend, she demanded that the airline provide her with the name of the man who’d been seated behind her so that she can press charges, and that a flight attendant named Loretta be fired.
“I want to know who he is. I would like to press charges against this man because I was assaulted on that plane. And American Airlines, I would like the flight attendant, Loretta, fired,” she said.
Listen to the full interview below:
(Source: TMZ)
The interview began with Williams recounting her side of the story.
She claimed that before she’d started recording the man, he’d been punching her seat much harder, to the point that she’d been “falling forward hard.”
“What he was doing before that was assault,” she said. “My body was being thrown forward. It happened once, and I thought maybe, who knows, freak accident, whatever. Then again, at which point it happened every 20 to 30 seconds, and probably happened eight times, and that’s when I started videoing.”
“He said something like, ‘Do you have something to say?’ And I said, ‘What’s your problem?’ And he said, ‘Well, I asked you not to recline your seat while I ate, and then you put it right back down when I was done.'”
To hear Williams tell it, her behavior was completely reasonable. Of course, the public hasn’t yet heard from the man who was seated behind her.
Williams then claimed that when she tried complaining about the man’s behavior to Loretta, the flight attendant instead came after her for her video.
“[Loretta] came over to me kind of huffy and said, ‘What?’ I said the guy behind me is purposefully and repeatedly hitting me like a child,” she said.
“And her response was to go back to him … and she was like, ‘It is tight back here. I’m so sorry.’ And I was sitting there like, is she kidding me? And then she came to me and told me to delete the video.”
The original video may be seen below:
This video has the internet legitimately divided .
Dude is in the last seat on the plane. Seat doesn’t recline.
Hers does. And she reclines.
He’s upset, and is punching her seat incessantly— so she records.
Who is right?!
Who is wrong?!See you at 7p on #FOX5LION@fox5dc pic.twitter.com/jjjTLLwvEc
— Marina Marraco (@MarinaMarraco) February 12, 2020
Before publishing its interview with Williams, TMZ reached out to American Airlines for comment. A representative with the airline responded by making some unsavory claims about the woman.
“A rep for American tells us they’ll continue to look into the matter and that they tried to deescalate the situation by asking Wendi to stop filming,” the outlet reported.
“We’re told the whole thing started when she first reclined her seat and knocked over the male’s drink. The rep adds that the whole thing would not have been an issue if both passengers would have just been respectful to each other.”
After TMZ’s full report was published and Williams learned of what the rep had said, she angrily took to Twitter to fact-check the airline.
Look:
1 @AmericanAir I saw that your rep said “they” (Loretta) tried to deescalate the situation by asking me to stop filming? Lie #1! I stopped filming as soon as Loretta came over to me, bc I thought she’d stop the guy. She talked to him then TOLD me, not asked me, to delete video.
— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 14, 2020
2 @AmericanAir I was told by 1 of your reps that “You had every right to recline your seat.” But now, “…the whole thing would not be an issue if both of the passengers would have been respectful to each other.? Lie #2! https://t.co/bjhRr1iB8m
— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 14, 2020
3 @AmericanAir Please refrain from placing any blame about what happened to me on your awful airline with your rude flight attendant! And if I inadvertently spilled a drink on the “man” – I had NO idea that happened. Who said it did @AmericanAir? https://t.co/mX0MMm0TvX
— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 14, 2020
4 @AmericanAir Again, who said I spilled a drink on him? Was it the “man”? The guy who punched me in my back repeatedly? The other passenger who should have been respectful? Was I disrespectful by reclining my seat @AmericanAir? Yes or no? Simple question a it’s your airline – https://t.co/mX0MMm0TvX
— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 14, 2020
5 @AmericanAir -your chairs that recline. Your rep has represented you perfectly! I sat through that entire flight being assaulted, being threatened, and I stayed completely calm throughout ALL of it (on the outside- https://t.co/0ktIYdqZ91
— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 14, 2020
6 @AmericanAir – inside, I was in pain, thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest). Here it is @AmericanAir “…the whole thing would not have been an issue…” if your airline wasn’t THE WORST! Thanks for yet another misrepresentation of me! Unbelievable!!! https://t.co/0C519eyW9r
— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 14, 2020
In a follow-up report published Saturday, TMZ revealed that Williams is now mulling filing a defamation suit against American airlines.
As for the heated debate over who was actually in the wrong, it continues to grow more divided. Just take a look at the replies to Williams’ own tweets:
It’s disgusting what happened here. If an airline offers reclining seats, that is what they are designed to do. Was anyone else reclined in their seat on this flight? It appears the #@$-hole was in the very back row. He had an option to pay for a more appropriate seat.
— Linda Urban (@urbanaudit) February 16, 2020
Reclining into someone else’s already limited space is rude and shows a sense of entitlement. Secondly, rocking someone’s chair is not assault. Never laid a hand on anyone. Not sure how @steelersfanOG can justify her lack of decency and common sense
— Nate William (@NWhitsell) February 16, 2020
She paid for the seat and all the features that go with it. If American Airlines didn’t want her to recline, it is their responsibility to disable that function. The guy picked his non-reclining seat, so that was his decision and all that goes with it. #boycottAmericanAirlines
— Will Norris (@BluegrassComics) February 16, 2020
Totally disagree! Reclining into an already limited space without mutual consent is very selfish and a violation of appropriate etiquette. Fortunately, in my flying experience, there are very few who not to abide by these rules of behavior.
— Mick (@Desertkatz) February 16, 2020
The country hasn’t been this divided since former President Barack Hussein Obama’s divisive tenure in office.
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