A woman was seated on a United Airlines flight next to a man who claimed to be a comedian, but she found him anything but funny. Instead, she ended up in tears as the man mocked her. He even called her a “smelly fatty,” not realizing who was watching him nearby.
Savannah Phillips has been on many flights, but a United Airlines flight from Oklahoma to Chicago would be the one that stuck with her forever after she was seated next to a man, who she described as “in his 60s with yellow sunglasses who claimed to be a comedian.” Unfortunately, Savannah would quickly learn that she didn’t find the guy funny at all. Instead, he was downright insulting. In fact, Savannah would soon be making a lengthy social media post about what transpired that day.
After admitting that she was self-conscious about her weight and feared others would feel uncomfortable sitting next to her on a plane, Savannah explained that she preferred to sit by herself on flights. However, she was unable to pick her seat that day. Instead, it was assigned at the gate. So, after Savannah boarded the plane, she found herself next to the “comedian” in question, and it wasn’t long before her fears became reality.
“He stood up so I could get into my seat next to the window. As soon as I got buckled, he sat back down,” Savannah wrote in her Facebook post. With airline seats being pretty tight, Savannah explained that the man’s phone was practically in her face as he texted, and she couldn’t help but glance at it. “His phone was maybe 12 inches from my face and he proceeded to text someone that he was sitting next to a ‘smelly fatty,'” Savannah recalled.
Admitting that she didn’t know what the rest of the text said, Savannah still automatically thought he was referring to her with those words, according to News Channel 5. Not really sure what to do, she tried to just look away, but her emotions quickly got the best of her. “I turned my head away as fast as I could,” Savannah recalled. “I was shocked and it was like confirmation of the negative things I think about myself on a daily basis. Before I knew it, I could feel hot, salty tears coming down my face.”
Thankfully, someone else had been watching. A man across the aisle had also seen the “comedian’s” rude text, and much to Savannah’s surprise, he was going to do something about it. Disgusted, the passenger took a photo of the “comedian” and posted it to Snapchat with a caption that called him out.
“This guy, prob mid 50s just text his wife that he is sitting next to a smelly fatty and was about to vomit. I watched her read his text and is now looking sad,” he wrote before asking, “Should I New Mexico slap the **** out of him or just say something when landing?” Rather than waiting for Snapchat to decide for him, the passenger quickly made up his mind on what to do and followed through.
“He tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘I need to talk to you.’ The guy took his earphones out and turned around and he said, ‘We’re switching seats right now,'” a stunned but thankful Savannah recalled. After telling the comedian that his offensive text messages would not be tolerated, the two men switched seats immediately and the other passenger quickly told a crying Savannah not to worry about what the “comedian” had said.
Savannah and her new friend started making small talk, which made Savannah feel better. Although she didn’t get his last name before they parted ways, she did learn that his first name was Chase and he was a father and a manager at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row Nashville on Broadway. After the flight ended, Savannah found herself wanting to further sing her hero’s praises, so she made her Facebook post about the ordeal, hoping someone would be able to identify the good Samaritan, and it worked!
The man’s name was Chase Irwin, and within half an hour of Savannah’s post, he acknowledged reading it. Although he said he didn’t intervene for publicity, he did speak with News Channel 5 to explain what had happened from his perspective, saying he felt infuriated after seeing the man’s message. “I was going to wait until the end of the flight to say something, but I could not have this guy sit next to her this whole flight and her thinking he’s making fun of her,” Chase explained.
“It really gets to me deep down when I see someone crying, and when I saw her crying it really hit me hard and actually got sick to my stomach,” Chase added. He also revealed that, when the “comedian” asked why he wanted to swap seats, he gave a brutally honest answer, responding, “Because you’re a heartless person, I read your text, and the girl next to you crying also read your text. And you should really take into consideration other people’s feelings.”
According to Savannah, Chase had stopped the flight attendant to tell her he was switching seats and why. “The flight attendant kept trying to give him free drinks and told him that he was her hero,” Savannah recalled before quickly adding, “He wasn’t her hero – he was mine.” Indeed, Savannah repeatedly expressed her gratitude for Chase and his heroic actions.
“I was so blessed and happy he was there,” Savannah said. “I hope it sets a good example for others for what they should do in situations like that and to stick up for people when they need help,” she added, saying that, thanks to Chase, “I do feel a little more beautiful today.” However, it was more than that. Chase also changed how Savannah looked at the world as she credited God for sending him her way, saying he proved to her that “not only does God see me,” but “there are more good people in the world than bad.”
