A nurse who worked at a nursing facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was fired after posting TikTok videos in which she spoke about unplugging a patient’s ventilator in order to charge her phone, giving patients extra sleeping pills so she could get more sleep, and “slapping patients for a million dollars.”
Kelly Morris, employed at The Citadel in Winston-Salem, posted social media under the name “bubblegumkelz,” as reported by The Independent. She also reportedly created a GoFundMe page titled, “Fired over a TikTok?!?”
Morris stated in the text of videos, “I’d unplug your vent to charge my cell phone.” “Me on my way to give my patients drugs so WE can get some good sleep tonight.” “Me making sure all my patients sleep all night cause they kept me up last night.” In one video, she says via a voice-over, “That’s what I always do and they never catch me. Ain’t nobody gonna catch me.” “Would you slap a patient for a million dollars?” she asked rhetorically in a caption, then put on sunglasses and answered, “It ain’t about the money.”
Justice exists. pic.twitter.com/eLpoTobLll
— Ian Miles Cheong @ stillgray.substack.com (@stillgray) July 3, 2021
Morris issued a short statement saying, “The only thing hurt in my TikTok videos were people’s feelings. All my videos are comedy skits. I can understand how someone can be upset but not to the degree they are taking it. No one was ever harmed and I treat all my patients with great care and they all love me.”
The nursing facility’s parent company, Accordius Health, issued this statement to WXII 12 News:
The Citadel at Winston Salem was made aware of TikTok videos by an employee last week. Our team investigated content and acted immediately. Misuse and unprofessional use of social media platforms by employees violates our core values and is not tolerated. Any form of resident abuse is never tolerated. Be assured we have handled the situation and reported her actions to all appropriate state and federal agencies. We love our residents; provide for and protect them every day. We are grateful for the global healthcare team that protects the elderly with pride in our profession.
“Morris said she thinks this is an example of so-called ‘cancel culture’ and said she feels as though it is a targeted campaign against her from people who do not understand humor,” WXII News reported.
As of Sunday morning, the GoFundMe page has raised $210 of the $20,000 goal. The page reads, “First I’m going to say to the people that were offended by my ‘jokes’ on TikTok, I will apologize. No one was actually harmed or in any danger, they were bad taste jokes. I am out of work due to these ‘jokes.’ Second, I still have children that are in my custody as a single mother that still need basic needs. I’m no longer commenting on the negativity I am receiving.”