Maybe it was the bottle?
CMA Fest wrapped up this past weekend here in Nashville, drawing in over 100,000 fans each day for 4 nights of nonstop music. But one of those fans ended up leaving with a bad taste in her mouth after her experience at Nissan Stadium.
Influencer Brooke Wyatt posted a video on TikTok about her experience, saying that because of food allergies she’s forced to carry an EpiPen and Benadryl with her wherever she goes. But she carries the Benadryl in a Fireball shooter, which she removed the label from.
Wyatt admits that might be a problem, but says it’s the only container she can find that doesn’t leak into her bag:
“That might be my bad, maybe I should have a better label or a better device, but I’ve tried everything. This is the only thing that doesn’t spill inside my bag. Anyway, you can clearly tell it’s not Fireball. And when you open it, which I had them do, it smells like Benadryl.”
Wyatt says that she’s used to undergoing additional security at events and having to answer questions, but says that once she explains the situation it’s usually not a problem.
At Nissan Stadium on Saturday night at CMA Fest though, Wyatt says she was “humiliated and disrespected” when she was questioned about the Benadryl:
“This lady comes over, starts harassing me and yelling at me in front of like, 10 or 15 people that I’m with.
Mind you, I’m on a brand trip, work trip, so I’m with people that I’ve just met. She was like, ‘I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to my staff member. This doesn’t smell like Benadryl,’ making fun of me in front of my face to the staff member. This doesn’t smell like Benadryl. Making fun of me in front of my face to her staff member.
They’re like, yeah, this doesn’t smell like Benadryl.”
She says that eventually a supervisor came over, and confirmed that the bottle did indeed smell like Benadryl. But Wyatt says that the experience left her crying and humiliated, and that once she got home she ordered a label off of Amazon for her medication and is working to get a doctor’s note to laminate and keep with her at events.
Wyatt says she hopes that her story serves as a reminder to those working security at events to handle things a little better than they did at Nissan Stadium:
“I also think that management and security people should be handling those things with grace and- actually not even grace, because I get you have to do your job, but just – you don’t need to be disrespectful and literally harass me and make a big scene, because the bigger the scene, it’s just – it’s just embarrassing and I don’t want to draw more attention to it. It was just heavy on my heart this morning and I just wanted to share.”
@povbrookewyatt After sitting with this for 48 hours, I feel it’s important to share my experience in hopes that it helps someone else avoid going through the same thing. On Saturday evening at Nissan Stadium, I was humiliated and disrespected by an employee who dismissed my medical device and medication, questioned the legitimacy of my condition, and treated both me and the team I was with with unnecessary hostility. I fully understand and respect the importance of security procedures. What was unacceptable was the lack of compassion, professionalism, and basic respect shown throughout the interaction. As someone with severe food allergies who relies on emergency medication, this experience was not only upsetting but also concerning. While I believe the situation was handled poorly, I’ve also taken steps to better organize and display my medical supplies moving forward. I wanted to share what I’ve ordered in case it helps someone else navigate a similar situation. No one should have to justify their medical condition to be treated with dignity. If sharing this helps even one person avoid the experience I had, it’s worth it.
According to Nissan Stadium policy, medically necessary items are permitted at all stadium gates, and guests can request a separate security screening if they wish. Non-transparent bags can be no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5,” while clear bags are permitted up to 12″ x 12″ x 6″.
