NSW Police have launched an investigation into an alleged act of offensive behaviour against Celebrity Apprentice star Carla from Bankstown.
Carla – the drag alter ego of Benjahmin James – told The Daily Telegraph he was left ‘very scared, shaking and crying’ after two men in an SUV attempted to run him over outside his local supermarket in Bankstown on Sunday afternoon.
James, who was not dressed in character at the time, said the men screamed homophobic and fatphobic slurs as they tried to intimidate him in the car park, laughing as they accelerated their vehicle towards him.
‘It wasn’t so much the words that they were using and abusing me,’ he said. ‘It was more the fact they were trying to run me over with their car, which was not okay by any capacity.’
‘They put their foot on the accelerator when I was 10 metres from them, and they literally floored it and just missed me by half a metre.’
He said that the men followed him and hurled a barrage of ‘hurtful’ comments before he sought refuge inside the supermarket.
NSW Police have launched an investigation into an alleged act of offensive behaviour against Celebrity Apprentice star Carla from Bankstown
Carla told The Daily Telegraph he was left ‘very scared, shaking and crying’ after two men in an SUV attempted to run him over outside his local supermarket in Bankstown on Sunday
James has previously said he’s endured bullying throughout much of his life but admitted this experience was especially traumatic.
‘I’ve been bullied most of my life and I know how to deal with it,’ he said.
NSW Police confirmed to The Daily Telegraph they are investigating the incident.
This follows an earlier Instagram Story shared by Carla, where she claimed the men waited outside the store for 15 minutes, allegedly attempting to intimidate her further.
The beloved drag queen and mental health advocate wrote: ‘Today I was targeted… I was almost run over twice by two men in an SUV, as I was walking they rammed the car and missed me by about 30cm.’
Benjahmin claimed the men initially said they didn’t see him but then began ‘hurling homophobic and fatphobic remarks’ and followed him through the car park while laughing.
‘They called me ‘f**got’, ‘fat c*nt’ and much more,’ he bravely wrote.
The media personality said the men even waited outside the supermarket for ‘about 15 minutes’ after he sought refuge inside.
In a chilling post on a pink background, the beloved drag queen and mental health advocate wrote: ‘Today I was targeted… I was almost run over twice by two men in an SUV, as I was walking they rammed the car and missed me by about 30cm’
‘Mark my words, I will find out who you are and you will pay for this trauma,’ he declared. ‘I don’t stand for this and when I find out who you are I will expose you.’
Benjahmin also revealed he had seen the same car ‘multiple times’ in his area before, adding: ‘So bring it on.’
While he assured fans he was okay physically, Benjahmin admitted the ordeal had left him emotionally shaken — especially given his ongoing mental health journey.
‘All of this while on my mental health journey just makes me really question society and the people in general,’ he wrote.
Fans have since taken to social media to offer messages of support, with many calling on authorities to investigate the incident.
The news comes months after the social media star launched a scathing tirade against Jetstar after his flight to Sydney was cancelled.
Ben posted a gallery of photos to Instagram Stories capturing him impatiently waiting at Brisbane Airport, and added some choice words for the low-cost airline.
‘Thank you Jetstar Australia for cancelling my flight 10 minutes before it was boarding and making me wait three hours till the next one,’ he began.
The news comes months after the social media star launched a scathing tirade against Jetstar after his flight to Sydney was cancelled
James went on to reveal he finally boarded a plane five hours later and was not happy with the staff’s reaction to the incident – or their demeanour handling his concerns or questions
‘I have a gig on tonight back in Sydney [that] I’ll be late for and will lose money for. It’s amazing. Thank you for that!
Ben then warned the airline he would become a complaining ‘Karen’ if the situation was not quickly rectified.
‘I’ve been sitting here for the last two hours waiting and if you cancel this flight I will make a video and I will become Karen from Bankstown and lose my mind,’ he continued, adding, ‘I will lose money for these cancelled flights.’
Ben went on to reveal he finally boarded a plane five hours later and was not happy with the staff’s reaction to the incident – or their demeanour handling his concerns or questions.
‘Five hours later on a plane home and @jetstaraustralia staff are so rude! You should be ashamed. Never had any issue with you EVER and now you want to be gronks?!
‘Watch out, I’m making the BIGGEST complaint in the history of your existence.
‘And your staff being so rude to me when asking what’s happening, saying, ‘Oh, we all want to go home babe’. Don’t call me babe. I’m not your babe, bro. Seriously RUDE.’
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, a Jetstar spokesperson said, ‘A flight from Brisbane to Sydney was cancelled yesterday due to an engineering requirement, with our aircraft needing a spare part.’
Carla from Bankstown shot to fame in 2021 with her tongue-in-cheek videos where she posed as ex- NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s no-nonsense assistant
‘We apologise for the inconvenience this caused and thank our customers for their patience while our teams worked hard to get everyone on their way as quickly as possible.’
‘Safety is always our number one priority.’
Carla from Bankstown shot to fame in 2021 with her tongue-in-cheek videos where she posed as ex-NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s no-nonsense assistant.
In July, the celebrity drag queen posted a hilarious video to TikTok, revealing she had scored a new gig working for current NSW Premier Chris Minns.
The cheeky footage shows Carla working behind the desk at Minns’ office as she takes a personal call with a friend and tells them, ‘it’s so boring today’.
She is then caught off guard by Minns, 43, who approaches her desk and asks her: ‘What’s happening? Are phone calls coming through, no one’s picking up.’
‘Victorian premier Dan Andrews called and said he’s hotter than you, but I told him no, absolutely not,’ Carla cheekily responded.
