Tamar Braxton Alleges Oak Lawn Gay Bar Denied Her Entry

Songstress and reality TV star Tamar Braxton is alleging that JR’s Bar and Grill on Cedar Springs denied her entry based on her appearance.

Braxton took to her Instagram story to detail her account of trying to enter the bar, which was promptly posted to Facebook by a user named James Michael. “Evidently I look like a gangster,” she says in the short clip. “I can’t come in this establishment. Here in my favorite town Dallas, they said zero tolerance for black people.”

Thanks to the viral power of social media, the bar has been flooded with dozens of negative reviews on Facebook, some of which point to previous allegations of racism in prior reviews of the bar. “Looking at the reviews posted before this happened I can see there has always been a problem here,” wrote one commenter. “You made a mistake and turned away a famous person so now you will feel the hit in the profits.”

JR’s Bar & Grill has not publicly responded to Braxton’s allegations. Eater has reached out for comment and will update this post with a response or any forthcoming details.

Update, 12/11 6:06 p.m.: JR’s spokesperson Waylon Tate provided the following statement in response to Braxton’s allegations. Eater has asked for clarification on which policy Braxton was violating when she was denied entry to the bar, and will update this post when those details become available.

For more than forty years, JR's has been a community anchor proudly serving and entertaining people of all genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations and religions. Serving the community with fairness, and always committed to diversity and inclusion in a safe environment.

To maintain that safety of our patrons and employees, we have strict guidelines that have been designed in collaboration with city and state regulators. Compliance with government and community is of the utmost importance and responsibility when serving alcohol in the state of Texas. Our posted policies regarding entrance into JR’s Bar & Grill are to both ensure the safety of all our customers and to certify that our staff are in accordance with the law when serving alcohol – without exception.

JR’s has served a vast array of communities, including residents in the Oak Lawn neighborhood, throughout Dallas, and visitors from around the world. We take immense pride in the diversity of our employees, contractors, patrons and our commitment to maintain a culture of inclusion and responsible celebration.

In this instance, we were simply following our published procedures. It would have been a beautiful experience and honor to add Tamar Braxton to the long list of celebrities who have enjoyed JR's as a safe and inclusive entertainment venue. We are deeply saddened that she didn't experience the love that awaited her inside.