“Hardly Svelte Yourself”: Passenger Confronts Seatmate Who Humiliated Him Over His Size

A plus-sized American traveler is complaining about being hit and insulted by a fellow passenger who called him “too fat to fly.”

Branum was aboard a Delta Air Lines jet when the fracas broke out, and according to him, the attendees even took a moment to consider his size after the cranky passenger made the statement.

This incident comes after TikTok influencer Kirsty Leanne defended not booking two seats on an aircraft in a video and drew backlash.

The larger traveler, Guy Branum, usually traveled business class

Delta airplane flying in cloudy sky, illustrating passenger attack on plus-size seatmate labeled too fat to fly incident.

Image credits: Daniel Shapiro

The larger man, named Guy Branum, posted the video on Instagram’s Threads and described his brush with his fellow traveler as an “exciting adventure.”

He explained that he usually paid a bit extra to travel business class, but this time, he could not afford it.

And so, with his anxiety welling up, he settled for the middle seat in the plane’s comfort plus area.

It was not long before his fears were realized, and he saw the manifestation of it even before it confronted him.

Barnum alleged that the traveler elbowed him with all his might

Passengers boarding a commercial airplane, illustrating issues related to plus-size seatmate and airline seating conflicts.

Image credits: Arno Senoner

According to Branum, a contentious man in his sixties caught his attention when he “freaked out” at a woman for storing her bags in the overhead stowage bins near his seat. 

The same man would then plop down next to Branum. The sixty-plus traveler, Branum alleged, was immediately angry with him and asked him to move over.

The larger traveler responded with “No, I can’t,” and the situation deteriorated to the point that the larger traveler caught an elbow in the ribs.

Bald man with mustache in pink shirt discussing flying while fat and plus-size passenger attacks on a flight seatmate.

Image credits: guybranumcomedy

According to Branum, the man put all his effort into the blow, and the injured man showed off a bruise to prove his point.

The man seemed unfazed by the fact that Branum was filming and even smiled into the camera

Branum’s video then cuts to footage of the two sitting beside each other with the plus-sized traveler telling the camera that his unhappy fellow traveler had “elbowed” him because he was “too fat to fly.”

In this footage, the allegedly contentious scrapper can be seen beaming from ear to ear, not denying the accusation but saying instead, “Yeah, who wouldn’t believe that?”

Older man speaking to seatmate on airplane, highlighting incident involving plus-size passenger and flight confrontation.

Image credits: guybranumcomedy

Branum then asked: “Do you think you would be happy if I elbowed you back?” and received the answer: “Well, there is not enough room for me here.”

The white-haired aggressor argued that he paid for the seat, before asking Branum if he could “at least share the armrest” in a reasoning tone.

Branum shot back and claimed he was not even using the armrest.

The man said that he was a member of Weight Watchers, and seemed on the verge of recommending that Branum take the same route

Close-up of a plus-size passenger's skin showing a red mark with a hand resting on the chest area.

Image credits: guybranumcomedy

The larger man then asked his adversary how he thought they could solve the problem, to which the white-haired man replied:

“You’re not gonna believe this,” and was cut off by Branum saying, “You’re hardly svelte yourself.”

The man continued to say that he was a member of Weight Watchers. “I swear,” he said. “I can show you on my phone. And that is how I lost weight.”

@guybranumcomedy A guy hit me and @delta didn’t throw him off the flight because they were more worried I might be too fat. #fat#airlines♬ original sound – GuyBranum

Branum, seeking a more immediate solution, was not impressed and replied: “So in the next 20 minutes?”

The attendants actually appeared to seriously consider Branum being too fat to fly 

The larger man circled back to his white-haired travel companion’s explanation about his participation in Weight Watchers with irritation in his voice.

Man in red shirt outdoors with city buildings in background, relevant to passenger attacks plus-size seatmate too fat to fly topic.

Image credits: guybranumcomedy

“Do you think I have never tried to lose weight?” he asked, his tone turning more aggressive.

“I don’t know,” the man seated on his right said. 

Branum then complained to the flight attendant about being hit while his foe told them that he (Branum) was “too fat to fly.”

According to Branum’s tale, attendants actually took the accusation seriously and gathered round to observe whether he (Branum) was too portly or not.

The scrapper was then moved to another part of the plane  while the woman he swapped with received free travel miles 

Airplane interior with passengers seated in blue seats showing a crowded cabin where a passenger attacks plus-size seatmate.

Image credits: billow926

Delta then allegedly sent in a “red coat lady” who pulled the sexagenarian aside, supposedly to explain to him that Branum would be staying on the flight, irrespective of his assessment.

The individual was then made to swap seats with a woman in another part of the plane, and Delta offered said woman traveler miles for her sacrifice.

When Branum heard this, he demanded free travel miles and received the response, “Sure.” But it appeared that the attendant wanted something in return. She asked him to delete his video of the debacle.

Plus-size man in pink outfit smiling and holding a cup during a casual interview on a purple set background.

Image credits: guybranumcomedy

The plus-sized man refused, and the request was dropped after other passengers told the attendant that the man who elbowed Branum was problematic, at fault, and responsible for a string of other spats from the moment he set foot on the plane.

Kirsty Leanne, a plus-sized traveler, tried to defend not booking two seats earlier this year 

In July 2025, Bored Pandareported on plus-sized traveler Kirsty Leanne, an advocate for travelers of Branum’s disposition, defending her reasons for not booking two seats.

“Booking two seats can be incredibly expensive and for a lot of people it’s out of their budget to spend that much on something they’re not sure will work 100%,” she noted on TikTok.

Comment from Anne expressing sympathy saying you didn’t deserve that in response to passenger attacks.

Her motivations were not well-received. “The reason you book two seats is not for you. It’s for people with whom you may be sharing their seat,” one netizen hit back, summing up the general sentiment in her comment thread.

While many feel aircraft seats are small, many feel that plus-sized passengers are responsible for not imposing on other passengers

In an ensuing Bored Panda poll, “Who should take responsibility for tight seating on planes?”, 48 percent of respondents answered “The airline. Seats are too small to begin with.”

Thirty-eight percent felt that the buck stopped at the larger passenger, while 15 percent felt that everyone was responsible, as flying “is already a nightmare.” 

Notably, one demographic (one percent) felt fellow passengers could take more responsibility.

Branum, it seems, has won the internet’s empathy

Comment discussing society's negative treatment of overweight people and their experiences with weight shaming and judgment.

Comment about wanting seats that accommodate plus-size passengers as the new standard for all rows and seats.

Social media comment praising someone for standing up against a passenger attacking a plus-size seatmate.

Comment expressing that nobody should be treated badly, relating to passenger attacks on a plus-size seatmate.

Comment defending plus-size passengers against attacks, emphasizing no one deserves to be harmed for their size.

Social media comment from a plus-size passenger discussing unfair, small airplane seats and fat-shaming during a flight.

Comment expressing anger about fat-shaming on a flight and sympathy for a plus-size passenger attacked by a seatmate.

Comment from user expressing empathy for plus-size passengers facing discrimination and challenges flying comfortably.

Screenshot of a social media comment describing frustration with airlines and small seats affecting plus-size passengers.

Comment expressing sympathy for plus-size passenger attacked on flight, offering support and willingness to sit beside them.

Comment on social media apologizing for a passenger attacking a plus-size seatmate over weight discrimination on a flight.

Comment criticizing corporate greed for stuffing too many seats on planes, related to plus-size passenger struggles.

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