A family visit to a Toronto museum turned into a recorded confrontation after an attendant told a mother her small crossbody bag was a problem, then followed her and called security. Tiffany Jody, who posts on TikTok as @tiffanyjody, shared the video from the Art Gallery of Ontario and said the exchange happened in front of her husband, her in-laws, and her children.
The clip, which had drawn about 93,100 views, is tagged to the gallery’s account, @agotoronto. In the caption, Tiffany said the incident took place on Sunday, October 4, 2026, inside the Ranbir Sidhu: No Limits exhibit. On-screen text in the video names the attendant as Miles and states, “Miles works at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) where he harassed me on Sunday October 4, 2026.”
Tiffany said she was reading a wall description and was not standing near any artwork when Miles first approached her. She said she had already been on other levels and had spoken with other attendants who, in her account, explained the art kindly and suggested what to see next. She said she turned to him with a smile because she thought he was about to talk about the work.
Tiffany’s account of the bag warning and the second approach
In the caption, Tiffany said Miles told her that her small crossbody bag was a “danger to the art.” She said she asked how, and that he explained, in a way she described as aggressive, that people turn around and bump artwork or each other all the time. She said she then moved the bag from behind her back.
Tiffany said she left that exhibit room and passed many visitors wearing backpacks or other small bags on their backs. She said Miles walked past those people and followed her out to tell her she was still not wearing the bag at the front. She said her husband told him to leave the family alone and pointed out that other visitors still had bags on their backs.
In the video, Tiffany tells Miles, “You’re not being fair. I already put my bag-” and he replies, “You can film all you want.” She says, “I am filming because you’re not being fair,” and adds, “I’m just a mom. I’m just here to enjoy the art.” She also says, “It’s not knocking any art off the wall,” and, “I actually thought when you came over to me, I thought you were going to explain the art to me.”
Tiffany says in the clip that she had already agreed and moved the bag, then asks why he came back while she was looking at her baby. She says, “Why did you pass all the people in the room just to come over to me?” Her husband can be heard saying, “He’s bored.” She holds up the bag and says it is on her side and front, then asks, “Tell me who else has their bag completely in front of them like that.” Miles is largely silent. When he says, “You’re filming,” she answers, “So what?”
She asks for his name, and he says, “Miles.” She then says, “Okay, Miles, you don’t have family members? You don’t have people? You don’t have children?” A coworker approaches, and on-screen text reads, “Miles forgot how to speak and could not explain to his coworker what was happening.” Miles tells the coworker, “Yeah, S1’s on the way up.”
Tiffany said in the caption that, in front of her in-laws, her children, and other visitors, he threatened them and then called security. She said she started recording because she believed it was harassment and racism, and that he then became mute. She identified the children in the video as her 3-year-old, Josiah, and her 7-month-old, and introduced her husband as Christian when the security manager arrived.
The security manager gives her name as Janice. Tiffany tells Janice that Miles first asked her to move the bag for the safety of the art, that she complied, and that he later found her outside the room and told her again that the bag should not be on her back. Tiffany’s experience is not unique, as a Black Oregon woman says a librarian singled her out over headphone volume while ignoring white children nearby.
In the caption, Tiffany said Janice told her this was not the first time this had happened and that it was “not the first Black woman this has happened to.” Tiffany wrote that a refund was not enough and that Miles should not be allowed to work at the AGO anymore.
According to The Art Gallery of Ontario’s guidelines, any bag larger than 18 inches by 16 inches by 6 inches must be left at coat check, and Protection Services Officers may limit an item they consider a risk to visitors or artwork. The same guidelines say visitors should not touch the art and should keep about 1 meter from the works. They do not state a general rule that a small crossbody bag must be worn fully in front.
Viewers weighed in under the video. One commenter focused on Miles’s expression and wrote, “He definitely has THAT look in his eyes.” Another said they wanted more detail on the outcome and wrote, “I’d love to know how the manager handled this situation.” A third commenter said they had seen the same attendant before and wrote, “I went to AGO a few weeks ago, and this same guy was following me and my friends around after one NICE lady asked us to wear our bags in front of us.”
Another visitor contrasted that with the usual bag policy and wrote, “Every time I’ve gone there they never allowed any large bag past the entrance, and they had to be left at a coat check. I’m shocked he even let you keep it on.”
Published: Oct 6, 2026 12:00 pm