The former employer of white influencer ‘commercial wife’, who used the n-word in one of her controversial videos, has spoken out.
Rophe, a North Carolina-based company, issued a statement after TikToker Lilly Gaddis made a series of inflammatory comments, including references to “dumb morons” and “newly arrived immigrants seeking a green card.”
The company, which is owned and operated by an African-American woman, criticized her behavior and said she was no longer part of the company.
“We at Rophe of the Carolinas want to address a recent incident that has caused concern and upset among our stakeholders,” a statement read.
‘A newly hired employee made inflammatory comments on social media that do not align with our company’s values and beliefs…the employee in question is no longer with the company.
Lilly Gaddis, a ‘trad-wife’ influencer, has sparked fresh backlash for a video in which she attacks minorities, feminists and the LGBTQ community after using the ‘n-word’ in a video.
“We are owned and operated by businesses owned by African American and immigrant women (sic) and we handled this situation as quickly as we could,” they added.
The company assured customers of its commitment to diversity, saying: “We want to assure you that we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive and respectful work environment where all people are valued and respected.”
While a significant number of viewers and online commentators were shocked and disgusted by Gaddis’ language and felt the firing was an appropriate response, others felt it was an overreaction to something that is “not a scandal.”
Rophe’s message comes after Gaddis posted a follow-up video acknowledging that he had upset “members of a certain community.”
But he went on to say that “the reaction made me do some deep diving and soul searching and after all that I still couldn’t find a concern.”
To further prove his point, the social media figure made an appearance on InfoWars, where he stated that “America is not a racist country” and that what he said in his original video is protected free speech.
Gaddis had been a marketing and sales manager at Rophe of the Carolinas, but on Friday he posted: ‘Oh no, I just got fired! #mob”, which garnered some 307,000 views.
His Twitter account was temporarily suspended but has since been reinstated. It’s unclear if she was also banned from TikTok, but her page is currently unavailable.
Following videos on social media, he filmed himself addressing the backlash but refused to apologize while wearing an American flag T-shirt.
Dressed in a floral apron and her hair up, she filmed herself sprinkling garlic powder, pepper and olive oil into a bowl while speaking her mind.
‘Guys, some guys think all girls are gold diggers. “I don’t know if you get information from street interviews in Miami at 3 in the morning outside a nightclub,” she says in the video.
‘You’re getting the opinion of some morons and newly arrived immigrants looking for a green card. Yes, they’re probably gold diggers, but that’s the exception: I’m the rule,” he says, touching himself to better get his point across.
‘Everyone I know who’s married right now is married to broke blacks, and they don’t care. “We don’t give a damn about money.”
Gaddis is seen wearing an apron and cooking in her kitchen following a rant in which she used the n-word that appeared on Twitter and TikTok.
Gaddis then posted another video on Twitter telling his followers, “A recent video of mine appears to have upset members of a certain community.”
“The whole reaction made me do some deep diving and soul searching and after all that, I still couldn’t find a concern.”
A video of a white man appears on the screen saying: ‘You’re going to call us racists.’ You’ll call us potential Timothy McVeighs. For you. (Pause). War.’
That tirade is followed by a comment from Larry Flynt, editor of Hustler magazine, who said: “If the First Amendment is intended to protect anything, it is to protect offensive speech.” If you’re not going to offend anyone, you don’t need protection.
More than 400 people posted their reaction to the video, some expressing outrage while others were confused.
On Friday she informed her followers that she had been fired.
Gaddis photographed with a gun in her pocket, wearing a yellow button-down shirt and jeans.
The TikTok account of the influencer ‘trad-wife’
“My jaw dropped,” one person wrote.
“No, literally, what is he saying?” said another.
‘She moved on. Hello???’
One person wrote that they couldn’t bear to watch the rest of the video.
‘I didn’t even get to the n-word, just “defendants and immigrants” and I immediately left! Imagine the surprise when you saw the rest of the clip that got worse!, they wrote.
After the video surfaced, Gaddis didn’t feel the need to apologize, but when she found out she was banned, many felt vindicated.
“They banned it,” he wrote.
One person claimed: “She got banned from TikTok too.”
Another said: “Action meets consequences.”
“Don’t play the Internet,” they wrote.
