Mekhi Phifer Shares Past Experience With Racial Profiling: "They Thought...I Had Kilos of Cocaine!"

"You kinda get used to people profiling you in a certain way so you sorta try to take it in stride," the actor said

By Alyssa Toomey Apr 24, 2014 3:58 PMTags

Mekhi Phifer's acting career is hotter than ever. 

Not only does the 39-year-old stud appear in Divergent, the popular sci-fi franchise starring Shailene Woodley, but he also currently stars in The Suspect, which according to Phifer, centers on a "mix between the usual suspects and in the heat of the night." 

According to the thesp, he plays "a guy who could be a bank robber who could be a college professor and all of these kind of twists and turns happen," but guest host Loni Love had another question on her mind: has the actor ever been racially profiled in real life? Or as Love likes to call it, dealt with a difficult experience while "driving while black"? 

"I have no choice to drive while black," Phifer replied with a laugh. 

"I'm from New York I'm from Harlem you kind get used to—whether it's right or wrong—you kinda get used to people profiling you in a certain way so you sorta try to take it in stride," he explained. 

The actor then told Love how he once drove across the country in an RV with his wife, but when the two stopped in Georgia, they encountered an unwelcome surprise. 

"They had four different types of law enforcement pull us over…and they thought I was transporting Mexicans or I had kilos of cocaine or bundles or weed!" 

So what happened to the Insurgent hottie? You'll have to press play to find out!