Alaska Airlines staffer Nelle Diala, fired over twerking video, speaks out: ‘Can’t even be yourself’
Alaska Airlines flight attendant Nelle Diala has spoken out after losing her job over a twerking video.
An Alaska Airlines flight attendant has spoken out after losing her job over a twerking video. Nelle Diala danced in the aisle of an empty plane before a flight early in the morning, and posted the video on TikTok. She was consequently fired by Alaska Airlines.
Nelle Diala speaks out
In a conversation with Inside Edition, Diala stressed that when she danced, she was only celebrating feeling great about her accomplishment after having reached the end of her probationary period, and was not trying to be unprofessional. “I just didn’t think that my video and my post and the way I was dancing would be deemed as inappropriate,” she said.
Diala said she did not expect that her actions could cost her her job. “I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” she said.
Calling out today’s overly sensitive society, Diala added, “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work? People act like they never did that before.”
Who is Nelle Diala?
Diala had been working at the airline for six months. She also owns a lingerie business and a dessert enterprise.
After being fired by the airlines, Diala launched a GoFundMe for herself, saying she was “wrongfully fired.” She explained on the page that in between the six months that she worked for Alaska Airlines, her two English bulldogs died and her relationship was “rocky because of the time I spent away”. However, she said she “loved her job.”
“One day, during a layover, I posted a lighthearted video on my personal social media account. It was a harmless clip that was recorded at 6 am while waiting 2 hours for pilots. I was also celebrating the end of probation and making it out of a hard upbringing in San Francisco, CA . LIFE-something many people in the industry could relate to. The video went viral overnight, but instead of love and support, it brought unexpected scrutiny. Although it was a poor decision on my behalf I didn’t think it would cost me my dream job,” Diala said.
Diala added that her employer accused her of violating the company’s social media policy. “I explained that the video wasn’t intended to harm anyone or the company, but they didn’t want to listen. Without warning, they terminated me. No discussion, no chance to defend myself—and no chance for a thorough and proper investigation,” she further said, adding that she launched the GoFundMe to “make ends meet due to this sudden loss of income.” $3,312 has been raised to support Diala.
