A TikTok Trad Wife Was Fired After Using the N-Word in One of Her Videos
Lilly Gaddis didn't back down from her use of a racial slur. https://twitter.com/riseydoux/status/1799659301172376024
Published June 12 2024, 10:47 a.m. ET
The "trad wife" trend has taken off across the internet as some women extoll the virtues of taking on duties like cooking and cleaning, relying on their husbands to earn an income. While many have long suggested that the trend is problematic, with some roots in misogyny, recently, one trad wife in particular has become a controversial figure.
Lilly Gaddis, an influencer who has extolled the virtues of the trad wife lifestyle, was recently fired from her job for using a racial slur. Here's what we know about exactly what happened, and why Lilly's firing probably shouldn't have come as a surprise.
Why was a TikTok trad wife fired?
TikTok trad wife Lilly Gaddis was apparently fired after she used the N-word in a cooking video. In that same video, she also made references to “dumb whores,” “immigrants fresh off the boat looking for a green card,” and “gold diggers.”
The video racked up millions of views, and Lilly's account was ultimately suspended for using a racial slur. Following the backlash, though, Lilly didn't seem all that apologetic for what she said.
In a video clip posted to Twitter on June 10, 2024, Lilly posted what could have been an apology, but instead seemed to just kind of address the controversy without suggesting that she had done anything wrong.
She did acknowledge that her remark “seems to have upset members of a certain community.”
“All the backlash made me do a deep dive and a soul search and after all that, I still couldn’t find a care,” she added.
Lilly's employer took a stand against her video and fired her.
After Lilly used the term and then failed to even attempt an apology, she was fired from her daytime job working as a marketing and sales manager at Rophe of the Carolinas, a home healthcare company for the elderly and disabled in Wilmington, N.C.
Rophe of the Carolinas issued a statement about the firing that didn't mention Lilly by name, but said that a new hire was fired for "inflammatory remarks on social media that do not align with the values and beliefs of our company.”
That night, Lilly tweeted, “Oh no I just got fired! #mob,” confirming that she was the fired employee.
In the video in question, Lilly discusses her anger over the fact that some men seem to believe all women are gold diggers.
“You are getting the opinion from some dumb whores and immigrants fresh off the boat looking for a green card. Yes, they are probably gold diggers, but that is the exception — I am the rule,” she said.
“Everyone I know that is married right now is married to broke-a-- [N-word], and they don’t care. We don’t give a f--k about money," she continued.
Although many in her comments called her out for the comment, Lilly refused to back down, suggesting that she didn't simply slip up when she said the word. She meant what she said, and now she's facing the consequences of her comment.