Actor Wendell Pierce claims he was denied Harlem apartment: 'Racism and bigots are real'

Actor Wendell Pierce, known for his roles in television hits including "The Wire" and "Jack Ryan," is claiming his application for an apartment in New York was denied allegedly due to his race.

"Even with my proof of employment, bank statements and real estate holdings, a white apartment owner DENIED my application to rent the apartment…..in Harlem, of all places. Racism and bigots are real," the Black award-winning actor posted on X Tuesday. "There are those who will do anything to destroy life’s journey for Black folks. When you deny our personal experiences, you are as vile and despicable.”

Harlem is a neighborhood in New York City in northern Manhattan, famous for its rich African American heritage. More than a century ago, it marked ground zero of an explosion of arts, politics and culture in Black America.  

In the same tweet Pierce, a Tony-award winner, wrote he currently stars in two TV series,  "Elsbeth" and "Raising Kanan" and is in the process of filming the movie "Superman." He also wrote he recently stared in the fourth season of "Jack Ryan" and, last year, completed a run on Broadway in "Death of a Salesman" in New York City.

It was not immediately known where in Harlem Pierce applied for an apartment.

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Pierce: 'I was backing him up'

In an interview with CNN's Abby Phillips, Pierce explained he took a relative who recently graduated from Howard University apartment shopping "to make sure he got a decent apartment and I was backing him up. I gave them all of my bank statements … and I was denied and I realized that they used the technicality of saying because I did not have steady, consistent employment... Most actors work three months here, three months there."

He told the outlet he even offered to pay a year in advance for the unit but was denied.

"I realized the application was designed that way to be discriminatory," Pierce said in the interview. "I wanted to show the damaging affects of when bigotry is memorialized in law."

In another post Wednesday, Pierce emphasized his comment was not self-motivated.

"While I appreciate the response to my own personal experience of discrimination in housing, I only mentioned it as an example of the insidious nature of bigotry. This court decision is profoundly more disturbing and injurious. CALL TO ACTION," the actor wrote after posting a link to a news story about an appellate court blocking a venture firm's program from issuing grants to only Black women.

USA TODAY has reached out to Pierce.

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Who is Wendell Pierce?

Pierce, 60, is an American actor from New Orleans.

He's a Tony Award-winning producer ("Clybourne Park") and a graduate of Juilliard School.

He starred as Baltimore police Detective William “Bunk” Moreland in "The Wire" and also as CIA Detective James Greer alongside Actor John Krasinski in "Jack Ryan" for four seasons.

In March, the Motion Picture Association reported Pierce would play "Daily Planet" chief Perry White in James Gunn's upcoming film "Superman."

His other hit TV series and movies include, "Suits" (USA Network) "The Michael J. Fox Show" (NBC), "Confirmation" (HBO) and"Treme" (HBO).

He also starred alongside Whitney Houston in the 1995 romantic comedy, "Waiting to Exhale."

'Imagine what a regular black man has to go through'

Pierce's post drew swift reaction from the public.

"Now just imagine what a regular black man has to go through smh. Even when rich it tough being black in America," one X user commented on the actor's post.

Another user commented: "the denial of housing with your obvious qualifications was bad enough, but for this to happen in harlem is the icing on the cake. I’m sorry you’ve been so directly affected by this broken system."

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.