David Sedaris flying boasts were not a first-class act in Australia

20 February 2025

One thing you can say for certain about American author David Sedaris is that he polarises opinion. Some people think he’s wonderful. Others are far less complimentary.

Freelance Australian writer Annemarie Fleming, used to be a fan of Sedaris, until she saw him speaking during a recent Australian tour. Fleming found a number of Sedaris’ quips to be off-colour, but his repeated boasts about flying first class, were the last straws:

Throughout his 90-minute performance, he mentioned that he flies first class multiple times. By the third time, I found myself on my feet and walking towards the usher.

Sedaris polarises opinion.

In 2013, I wrote about distasteful comments he made, following the suicide death of his youngest sister, Tiffany. In 2025, that piece remains among one of the most accessed posts on my website.