A Michigan-based rapper is taking legal action against Lyft after claiming one of the company’s drivers refused to pick her up because of her body size — an encounter that was captured on video and has since gone viral, sparking nationwide debate about discrimination, respect, and the treatment of plus-sized passengers in the gig economy.

36-year-old Dajua Blanding, who performs under the stage name Dank Demoss, says she never expected what should have been an ordinary ride to turn into a deeply humiliating experience — one that would ultimately push her to file a lawsuit against one of the largest rideshare companies in the United States.

Earlier this month, Blanding ordered a Lyft ride from her Michigan home, expecting a quick and uneventful trip.

But what happened next, she says, left her shocked and hurt. When her driver arrived — in a black Mercedes-Benz — he reportedly locked his doors upon seeing her and hesitated to let her in.

According to Blanding, the driver rolled down his window and began questioning whether she would fit comfortably inside his car. “I can fit in this car,” she’s heard saying in the now-viral video she recorded on her phone.The driver’s response, captured clearly in the footage, was blunt and dismissive: “You can’t, believe me.” Moments later, he canceled the ride altogether and told her she wouldn’t be charged — before driving off.
Blanding says the brief but tense encounter left her shaken. “It was embarrassing,” she told Fox 2 Detroit.

I’ve bee in cars way smaller than that. I just want people to understand how painful it is to be treated like that — like you don’t deserve to exist in certain spaces because of your size.”