Alice Coster: US comedian Arj Barker should be ashamed for asking breastfeeding mum to leave

The move by US comedian Arj Barker to throw a new mum out of his Melbourne International Comedy Festival Show has quite rightly been met with anger.

It’s 2024 — Arj Barker was wrong to ask a breastfeeding mum to leave.

Melbourne, surely we are not having this conversation again.

News US comedian Arj Barker threw out a mother with her newborn baby from his comedy show at the Athenaeum Theatre on the weekend has quite rightly been met with anger and outright disgust.

All the newborn baby reportedly did was give a slight gurgle after having breastfed.

But that was enough for Barker to claim he might get distracted, so ejected the poor woman who was now in tears and her baby mid-show.

Is this comedian so devoid of actual laughs that the faint coo of a baby is enough to put him off his show?

Comedian Arj Barker asked a breastfeeding mother to leave his show. Picture: Rob Leeson

The good part of this yarn is that many of the audience members were so appalled by Barker’s behaviour towards the new mother, they walked out in solidarity with her.

Imagine the humiliation she must have felt being called out and then booted out, in public like that.

It’s hard enough getting out of the house as a new mother, let alone getting it together to enjoy a night out in the city.

Why she chose to see a show headlined by Arj Barker is where our new mother first went wrong. Because there are plenty more shows on the city circuit far more worthy of her precious time — try Wicked just around the corner.

And while on the soapbox, let’s give new mothers a break.

Kirstie Marshall was asked to leave parliament in 2003.

It’s more than 20 years since then parliamentarian Kirstie Marshall was kicked out for breastfeeding her baby in question time.

But just last year a mother was ejected from Victorian County Court for breastfeeding her baby: “Madam, you will not be permitted to breastfeed a baby in court,” the judge said. “It will be a distraction, and I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Again are we really having this conversation in 2024?

The person who should feel appalled and mortified by their behaviour at the comedy show is of course Barker.

But the comedian has long lost any of the so called bark he used to have in his bigger billboard days. Frankly he was lame then and is just lamer now.

Mark my words, Barker will use this prejudicial latest episode to try and amplify his diminishing fame and get people talking about him again.

Wait for the predictable social media post, or talking to The Project panel to jokingly defend his actions, all while telling people to come see his last show on Monday night.

So let’s not give this sad, pathetic joke of a comedian a platform to speak from and instead just relegate him to the land of washed up, stale and forgotten comedians where he belongs alongside Louis C.K and Chris Lilley.