Fast X star Tyrese Gibson wants Home Depot to cough up a cool million for “racial profiling” him during a recent trip, and tried to prove it with a video that made him seem unhinged.
Gibson, 44, filed a complaint against the home improvement supplier last week, alleging that he “experienced outrageous discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling” during a visit to their West Hills, California location.
People magazine has reported that he is seeking the million-dollar payout, which the actor claims represents the lifetime amount he has spent at Home Depot.
In addition to the financial compensation, Gibson is also requesting that the courts issue a “declaratory judgment” stating that Home Depot has violated California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
Tyrese thinks he doesn’t need to show ID at Home Depot and now claims employee was racially profiling him pic.twitter.com/wdG0Qo78fy
— Nice Viddies (@niceviddies) August 11, 2023
The alleged incident dates back to February, when he took a trip to the West Hills store with two employees.
Due to his years long career in Hollywood, the Transformers actor said that he started to be mobbed by fans while shopping, and decided to take refuge in his car.
Before heading to the parking lot, Gibson reportedly informed one of the cashiers that his workers could make their purchases with his credit card.
When his staffers attempted to use the card, she refused to perform the transaction, even after the he verified his identity on a FaceTime call.
In the video, the cashier, who he dubbed a “racist Karen,” talks to a manager on the phone, while Gibson threatens to call the company’s CEO.
“Ma’am, should I have the CEO of Home Depot call you tomorrow, because he’s my neighbor in Atlanta … And tell you that this is unnecessary, what your doing,” he warns.
Fast X actor Tyrese shared a video on Instagram of “racial profiling” at Home Depot in West Hills, California due to not having an ID. What he didn’t show was that he made a purchase, with a credit card, of over $3000 which was the reason his ID was asked for. pic.twitter.com/NzR7KnV0Xb
— Julius (@TodaywithJulius) August 12, 2023
The cashier listens to a response on the other line, and replies, “My manager said that’s fine,” with a bored nod.
Gibson accuses the manager of being “extra,” and repeatedly asks for his and the cashier’s last names, which she refuses to provide, before calling her a “Karen” as he ends the call.
Gibson eventually headed back inside with a camera operator to give his consent for purchase, but he continued to harass the cashier for her last name and berated her about the company’s policies.
According to the complaint, “The cashier gave no reasonable explanation other than repeating ‘store policy’ and demanded to see a form of identification.”
The Morbius actor kept insane confrontation going for more than ten minutes, disrupting the store’s operation by dragging multiple employees into his complaint, then finally calling the cashier “a racist” for her actions.
“You know, you’ve got that racist energy all over, because you’re not even willing to apologize,” he accused.
In his lawsuit, Gibson alleged that the cashier and manager intentionally interfered with the purchase due to their baseless suspicion resulting from Gibson and his workers’ “skin color” and, in the case of the employees, “their national origin.”
The complaint claims that the incident was “a clear and deplorable instance of discriminatory mistreatment and consumer racial profiling.”
Gibson’s complaint says the events were “humiliating and demeaning” and that Home Depot has chosen not to take responsibility.
However, a Home Depot affirmed that they value Gibson as a customer and that they have made numerous attempts to address his concerns.
“Diversity and respect for all people are core to who we are, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form,” a statement said.
In a follow-up with TMZ, Gibson claimed that the conversation Home Depot has tried to have with him has been, “it never happened and they’re not owning it.”
He told a reporter that they still have refused to apologize, and when asked if an apology would make his lawsuit go away, the actor said, “we’re past that at this point.”