Who is Rachel Jackson? Life of viral Scottish comic arrested in US and why she moved there

As Rachel Jackson is identified in the now-viral video of a woman having a meltdown in an airport, the Mirror takes a look at who the Scottish comic actually is, and why she made the move to America

A woman who went viral after her airport meltdown has been named as popular Scottish comic Rachel Jackson, who has enjoyed an enviable career in TV and film.

Edinburgh-born Rachel, who is now based in Glasgow, was captured on camera at Tennessee's Nashville Airport, where a tense altercation with officers ensued before her eventual arrest. In one particularly heated moment, the 37-year-old could be heard yelling: "By the captain, and I listen to captain's orders – 'cause I've seen Titanic, I've seen Titanic. I am White Lotus, I am Titanic."

Now Rachel's identity has been made known, ahead of a new comedy show about the reason why she upped sticks and moved to the US, only to "lose her mind".

Impressive film and TV career

Rachel has enjoyed a successful career as a comedian, writer, and actress, and has performed in comedy festivals across the world, including Berlin, Beijing, NYC, Tokyo and LA. A Rose Bruford drama school graduate, Rachel was previously nominated for the honour of best new comedian at the Scottish Variety Awards.

The 37-year-old has appeared in a wide variety of films and TV shows, such as Still Game and Outlander. She has also written and starred in BBC Three miniseries called Bunny Boiler, which follows a young woman named Cassandra as she navigates the modern dating world in search of 'the one'. Back in 2018, Rachel played Donna in Doctor Who star Karen Gillan’s award-winning directorial debut, The Party’s Just Beginning.

Promotional material published on The Glee! Club website describes Rachel as having "a quick mind and a sharp tongue", adding: "She has made somewhat of a name for herself in Scotland and is renowned for her fearless style and candid yet loveable demeanour."

Move to US

It's understood that Rachel moved over to the US in 2023, in order to find love. In March, she is set to launch a brand new comedy show called American Horror Story, which, as per a promotion on TikTok, is "all about the time award-winning Scottish comedian Rachel Jackson moved to Tennessee for love but instead lost her mind".

Airport meltdown

Footage of the Outlander star's altercation went viral after being uploaded to YouTube. Captured August 15, 2023, at Tennessee's Nashville Airport, the clip sees Rachel wandering into the dedicated Delta Airlines lounge without a pass, at which point staff informed her that, as she was flying on a British Airways flight to London, she was in the wrong lounge. One staff member also claimed they believed Rachel to be "high."

Rachel was soon caught by police after being identified by her wrist tattoos and oversized sunglasses. She demanded to be left alone, and when the officer tried to reassure her and defuse the situation, she replied: "Get your hands off me."

"You're going to stop and listen to me," one police officer told her, to which Rachel responded: "No, I'm not." The officer then went on to explain that she'd been denied boarding from the flight, which appeared to infuriate her further. Rachel raged: "By the captain, and I listen to captain's orders – 'cause I've seen Titanic, I've seen Titanic. I am White Lotus, I am Titanic."

She then screamed: "Get your f**king hands off me," before being informed that she would be escorted off of the airport property. By law, the pilot and captain in charge of a flight have the right to deny boarding or have a passenger removed from the aircraft. Things then took another dramatic turn as the cops continued trying to detain Jackson.

Turning back towards the cops, Rachel yelled: "Get your hands off me while I drink my water," telling law enforcement officers they had "60 seconds" to leave her be. "Get your f**king hands off me," Rachel continued as they attempted to put her in handcuffs before screaming out for "help."

During this same incident, Rachel also requested that police give her money in order to purchase nicotine gum. When they refused, Rachel became even more irate. Resisting the arrest, she went on to fume that she "won't go to jail" before asking a female officer to help her.

The confrontation led to Rachel being booked in jail, where she was reportedly charged with disorderly conduct.

When approached for comment by the Mirror, Rachel Jackson wasn't immediately available.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .