US songstress Ari Lennox left fans worried on social media when she revealed that due to her aerophobia, she will no longer be doing shows that require flights.
Ari Lennox admits she suffered from aerophobia
In a series of Instagram stories that, at the time of this article’s publishing, were deleted, Lennox revealed she is no longer putting her mental health on the back burner for a performance cheque.
“For my mental health and my sanity, I will not be doing any shows that require me to fly. I cannot keep torturing myself with this huge fear of mine,” she wrote.
Aerophobia, according to the Cleveland Clinic, affects more than 25 million adults in the United States.
While air travel has the lowest death rates compared to other forms of transportation, people living with aerophobia are still afraid of various aspects of flying, including take-off, landing or, much worse, being locked in a plane.
“It is literally destroying my health. Enough is enough. I’m so sorry to all that are inconvenienced by this. Don’t know what this will mean for my career but I just can’t do it,” Lennox wrote.
The songstress’ remarks came ahead of her appearance at Planet AFROPUNK in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Suffice it to say, Lennox did honour her part and gave a riveting performance. However, if no alternative means are found to treat her aerophobia, it may be a while before she resurfaces outside of her hometown.
In November 2022, Lennox was arrested at an airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, for disorderly conduct on a flight. The songstress accused the airport security of racism, but this was quickly shot down by officials, who claimed Lennox was drunk and a nuisance to other passengers.
The songstress also courted backlash over an interview she did with South African podcaster, MacG. Since the incident, she’s sworn to never set foot in South Africa.