John Barrowman has been branded "entitled" and "detached from the world" after he posted a lengthy rant complaining that only the front two rows of his business class cabin were given pyjamas on a flight from Los Angeles to London.
The 59-year-old Torchwood actor was travelling with American Airlines alongside his father and husband when he discovered the airline's flagship service sleepwear was not being handed out to everyone in business class. He filmed himself onboard and posted the video to X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Hi American [Airlines] we have paid for the flagship service," he said in the clip. "My father and my husband behind and the tickets were very expensive and we get on thinking we'd get pyjamas with the flagship service. Then you apparently only give them to the first two rows in business class."
"What's that all about? So far you're not batting very high. Meal order wrong and then told we don't have exactly what everyone else is getting on the flight when we all have flagship service. Can you explain? Thank you."
The post was later deleted, but before it disappeared Barrowman added a comment underneath it, writing: "I find that shady and bad customer service. You're supposed to be pushing this flagship and at the moment it's not hitting the ball out of the park."
Backlash on social media
The post quickly picked up traction, though the reception was likely not what Barrowman was expecting. Users piled in with mockery rather than sympathy.
One person wrote: "The entitlement is off the scale. No wonder he deleted the tweet." Another said: "The horror for John Barrowman failing to get pyjamas in business class. I hope he somehow managed to arrive safely."
A third joked: "No pyjamas???? Oh my god the worst thing has happened!! The people of Gaza have just started a petition for John Barrowman," while another compared the episode to a film, writing: "Reimagining of Snakes On A Plane. But instead of there being loads of snakes, there are no pyjamas, and instead of Samuel L Jackson, John Barrowman."
Others were more pointed. "Imagine being so disconnected from the rest of the world to behave in such an unattractive manner," one user wrote, while another said: "Sure, by all means send customer service a question after the flight but a complaint on Twitter where 95% of the users will never get to turn left on a plane is ridiculous."
One reply imagined Barrowman "in heaven telling a medieval peasant who starved to death about the horrid time he didn't get his Pjamas in first class," while another wrote sarcastically: "I feel so utterly sorry for John Barrowman. This is absolutely tragic. How could this happen to someone in 2026? It's dreadful. Not being given pyjamas in business class is totally unacceptable. How on Earth was he expected to have a little sleep halfway across the Atlantic without being given pyjamas? This is so cruel. How will he ever recover from this shocking incident? Pray for John." A simpler response just read: "First World problems!!"
Not everyone piled on
A few users defended the actor. One wrote: "I'm in no way a fan of John Barrowman, but how do people have an issue with him asking for something he's paid for? You can bet your bottom dollar, a lot of the people in the replies probably complain about things they HAVEN'T paid for! Stop hating on successful people."
The Daily Mail has contacted John Barrowman's representatives and American Airlines for comment.
Career troubles since misconduct claims
Barrowman has kept a lower public profile in recent years after being accused of exposing himself to co-workers on the sets of Doctor Who and Torchwood between 2005 and 2011.
The allegations surfaced in 2021 after he was drawn into a Guardian investigation into his one-time Doctor Who co-star Noel Clarke, who faced accusations of bullying and sexual misconduct from 26 women. Barrowman was swiftly dropped as a judge on ITV's Dancing On Ice and has said he was "blacklisted completely" from the entertainment industry, which he said left him depressed and led to suicidal thoughts.
Barrowman defends his behaviour
Last year, he said he does not "regret anything" and defended his conduct on set, saying everyone had been "doing outrageous, silly things" but that he alone had been "dragged into this situation by a piece of lazy journalism."
Speaking on STV's Scotland Tonight, Barrowman insisted "nobody complained" and that he did not see his behaviour as "outrageous." Asked directly whether he had been "basically flashing" people, he denied it, explaining that during nude scenes he preferred to remain undressed between takes to save time rather than returning to his trailer, and that if someone walked onto what was meant to be a closed set, he might "jiggle" but insisted it "was nothing outrageous." He added: "It was a different time."
