Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Fired for Twerking on the Job—Social Media Reacts

An Alaska Airlines flight attendant, Nelle Diala, has been dismissed following the circulation of a TikTok video in which she is seen twerking aboard an aircraft.

The video, recorded during a two-hour wait for the captain, was intended to celebrate the conclusion of her probationary period with the airline. Diala captioned the video, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you,” and shared it on both TikTok and Instagram.

Despite her celebratory intentions, the airline terminated her employment just six months into her contract, citing a violation of company social media guidelines. Diala expressed her disbelief, stating, “I never thought a single moment would cost me everything.” She further commented on societal sensitivity, remarking, “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.”

In the wake of her dismissal, Diala launched a GoFundMe campaign to support herself while seeking new employment and to sustain her lingerie and dessert businesses. As of now, the campaign has garnered $182 towards a $12,000 goal.

Public reaction has been mixed, with some criticizing her actions as unprofessional and disrespectful to the uniform, while others defend her right to self-expression. One critic commented, “You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then,” while a supporter questioned, “WTF? It’s a crime now to be happy and post it on social media?”

Diala’s side ventures include a lingerie business and a dessert enterprise, which she promotes through her social media presence. She has indicated plans to devote more attention to these ventures following her termination.

Alaska Airlines has not publicly commented on the specifics of Diala’s termination, maintaining that employee matters are confidential. The incident has sparked a broader discussion on the boundaries of personal expression and professionalism in the workplace.

For a visual overview of the incident, you can watch the following video:

NEW: A flight attendant launched a GoFundMe and raised $261 after being fired for posting a video of herself twerking on a plane.

The skies just got a little calmer.

Nelle Diala, who describes herself as “ghetto bih till I D-I-E,” claims she was “wrongfully terminated” by… pic.twitter.com/Yk0N4Kfums

— Johncast (@johncastnow) January 15, 2025