A Nurse Was Allegedly Fired for Posting Racist and Homophobic TikTok Videos
Updated May 27 2023, 6:36 p.m. ET
Although TikTok can be great for users who are hoping to start trending, there are also some risks to posting your personal beliefs on the platform. One nurse in Alabama has discovered the risks that TikTok brings with it after he was allegedly fired for posting racist and homophobic videos on the platform. The controversy all started after the nurse, who is referred to as Nathan, was featured in a compilation video from TikTok user @rx0rcist.
Was a nurse fired over TikTok?
The account featured in the video, which is now private, was @conservativecoy1776. @rx0rcist claimed that Nathan had made videos that featured misinformation about COVID-19, and also made racist, homophobic, transphobic and Islamaphobic comments.
In the caption to his compilation, @rx0rcist claimed to have held Nathan accountable for his videos.
“You know it’d be a real f----- shame if someone happened to identify you and your employer using a partial view of your work badge you flashed on your old account, and then forwarded all of your shenanigans, both to your employer at Baptist Health in Montgomery, Alabama, as well as the Alabama Board of Nursing,” she wrote.
“Sucks to suck Nathan” @rx0rcist continued “Also, wear your f------ seatbelt.”
The compilation eventually made its way to Reddit.
When the video eventually made its way to Reddit, many users were stunned by Nathan's ignorant attitude.
“His overall hateful attitude sucks but it especially infuriates me to see people in the healthcare field spouting off conspiracies about covid,” one user wrote. “‘Fauci paid to have it created,’ or ‘There’s two sides to science, people who say masks are good and those that say they’re bad.’"
“Dude, you’re surrounded by actual doctors," the user continued. "Buy one a coffee and talk to them for 15 minutes. I’m sure any ER or pulmonary doc would be delighted to explain why masks work and how we have definitive proof that COVID is way more dangerous than the flu.”
Some users also hoped that they would get some sort of follow-up video in which Nathan threatens a lawsuit.
It's unclear whether he's actually been fired.
Although there are claims circulating that Nathan has been fired, there's been no concrete evidence from Nathan to confirm that fact. His videos, which are undoubtedly harmful and ignorant, may have been just cause for his employer to fire him, but that doesn't mean that step has actually been taken.
This is far from the first time that an employee has been fired over things they posted on TikTok. The content can vary wildly from case to case, though. For example, one Starbucks employee was fired for making a TikTok video while at work. In the video, the employee in question posted about how he wished that he and his coworkers could respond to demanding customers.
That's just one example of this broader trend, and the public is mixed on whether this phenomenon is justified or an overstep. Ultimately, whether an employee is fired over social media posts likely depends most on what they actually posted.
