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Woo Woo Woo Gone Wrong: Jeffrey Osborne Fans Say They Were ‘Humiliated’ Onstage by the Singer, Then Asked to Replace Them for a White Person

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R&B singer Jeffrey Osborne faces a $2 million lawsuit following allegations from two Black concert attendees. They claim that the former LTD member caused them emotional distress and humiliation by discriminating against them based on their race after inviting them on stage during a performance in May 2023.

Jeffrey Osborne faces lawsuit from two female fans who say he “humiliated” them onstage then asked to replace them with a white person. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

Danielle Buchanan and Maneva Currie filed a complaint against Osborne and the Greek Theater, the venue where the incident occurred, in the Superior Court of California on Tuesday, Feb. 27.  

In the lawsuit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, they assert that the four-time Grammy nominated singer displayed “discriminatory behavior” towards them while they were attendees at one of Osborne’s concerts on May 6, 2023, at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

Screenshots of the federal lawsuit against Jeffrey Osborne and The Greek Theater Alleging Discrimination.

During the performance, the singer requested assistance from the audience to help him sing his 1986 hit “You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song),” a practice that many stars do during their set.

Buchanan alleges that the singer did something she had never seen or experienced in her life.

Upon being chosen to sing the “can you woo woo woo?” chorus of the song and despite being handed the microphone and having her face displayed on the two large screens flanking the stage, Osborne abruptly reversed his decision.

As she stood, “smiling and prepared” to sing for the camera, with her friend Currie capturing the moment on her phone, the complaint alleges that Osborne made a sudden declaration to the audience and his team: “I want a white person.”

Buchanan asserts that she, along with others, heard him utter these words, leaving her devastated.

The complaint says that she was “shocked, embarrassed and humiliated.”

However, she still tried to keep a good face and joked into the mic, “I’m white.”

That didn’t work. The production team still took the mic from her and handed it to another person.

Her friend Currie also said the event also left her “embarrassed and humiliated.”

“[Buchanan and Currie] left the concert emotionally disturbed… Based on the public humiliation, [they] were afraid to engage socially in their lives for months and eventually as a result of the pain and suffering, they had to seek psycho-therapy,” the claim reads.

Adding, “As a result of Osborne’s negligent and discriminatory behavior, he has caused [the plaintiffs] damages.”

Some fans on social media believe that the women are reaching with their allegations.

“I hate people! Jeffrey Osborne has been doing the SAME set for 80 Years, leave him alone!!! He can pick whoever he wants to pick.. If the mic pass you by, oh well,” one person said.

“First of all…. Realistically– How many white ppl was Jeffrey Osborne expecting to look out into the audience and see? Was this the European leg of the tour?” another X user tweeted.

Others just mocked the incident with gifs.

The Greek Theatre is also named in the claim because it should have protected them from the injurious behavior that the artist inflicted on them — as they were guests in the venue.

In California, there is a law called The Unruh Civil Rights Act, which was enacted in 1959 in California and stands as a pivotal legal framework prohibiting discrimination across multiple protected categories, that the women are leaning on.

Named after its champion, former California State Assemblyman Jesse Unruh, this legislation remains among the most far-reaching civil rights statutes in the United States.

The scope of the act extends broadly, encompassing both public and private entities such as housing, employment, and public accommodations. Through the UCRA, individuals subjected to discrimination possess the legal recourse to pursue lawsuits seeking damages, injunctive relief, and reimbursement of attorney’s fees.

According to their lawsuit, both Buchanan and Currie assert that they contacted the Greek Theatre via phone and lodged a verbal complaint following the concert. However, they contend that the venue failed to respond to their communication, leading them to hold the venue responsible for the emotional distress they experienced.

Lawyers representing the women in this joint complaint say that they are asking for more than $2 million in punitive damages and are requesting a trial by a jury of their peers.

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