Cinnabon employee terminated after viral harassment video, and what supporters are now doing for her is shocking

A Cinnabon worker in Wisconsin was fired right away after a video showed her harassing a Somali couple. The video went viral on social media. The woman, named Crystal Wilsey, was caught on camera using the n-word, making rude hand gestures, and saying she was racist.

But here’s the shocking part: people have raised over $90,000 for her on a fundraising website. The huge amount of money shows that many people agree with Wilsey’s racist comments. The Cinnabon franchise owner fired Wilsey as soon as the video spread online.

A Cinnabon spokesperson told Newsweek that the employee was “immediately terminated.” The company said her actions were “completely unacceptable” and don’t match Cinnabon’s values or the welcoming environment they want for customers and workers.

The fundraising campaign is causing major controversy

The GiveSendGo fundraiser has sparked a lot of anger because many donors left messages supporting Wilsey’s racist remarks. The fundraising page tries to change the story completely. It claims Wilsey was just a “hardworking White mom doing her job” and says the Somali customers were trying to make her work shift terrible with threats. The page suggests Cinnabon fired her to “keep the nons happy.”

The fundraiser calls the firing a “betrayal” and says, “No White person should lose their job for refusing to be harassed by Somalians.” The money is meant to help Wilsey get back on her feet. This isn’t the first time something like this happened on the site.

Earlier this year, another fundraiser was set up for a Minnesota woman who was filmed calling a Black child the n-word. Similar controversies involving retail workers have made headlines recently, including a disturbing health discovery at Albertsons.

Wilsey has a criminal record that includes drug possession and disorderly conduct charges. She was charged with drunk driving in February 2022, but that charge was dropped. She also faced a child endangerment charge in February 2022, but the whole case was dismissed.

Wilsey is from Menominee, Michigan, and went to Post University. Her Facebook page from April 2024 showed she supported the Democratic Party, including posts with “Biden/Harris” signs and messages supporting women’s reproductive rights. Employee-customer conflicts at major chains continue to grab attention, like a bizarre Chick-fil-A cash incident that revealed surprising legal rules.

This incident happens at a time when discrimination against Somali Americans is becoming a bigger concern. President Trump recently attacked the Somali community, raising worries about unfair treatment.

Federal authorities are also planning immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota that will mainly target Somali immigrants living in the country illegally. The $90,000 raised for Wilsey shows the deep tensions around race and immigration right now.