Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News / Getty Images
A Smoothie King franchise in Michigan has fired two employees after a viral video showed staff refusing to serve a customer because of his pro-Trump hoodie, prompting the company to issue a public statement and apologize to the couple.
The video, posted to TikTok by the customer’s wife, Erika Lindemyer (@enl1986), shows her and her husband at a Smoothie King location in Ann Arbor arguing with employees who tell them they “don’t feel comfortable serving” him because of the hoodie. Lindemyer repeatedly calls it discrimination in the clip, while one employee responds, “Trump discriminates (against) us."
Smoothie King later said the incident happened at a franchised store and that, after an investigation, the franchise owner took “immediate action” and the two employees involved are “no longer with the business.” The company added that both the franchise owner and corporate representatives reached out to the guest “several times to apologize” and said it will continue following up.
Smoothie King’s statement emphasized that its stores should be “free of discrimination of any kind,” and framed the termination decision as part of enforcing that expectation at the franchise level.
The situation has ricocheted across social media, with some users backing the employees’ stance, others blasting the refusal of service, and calls for boycotts and counter-boycotts circulating alongside reposts of the clip.
One of the employees shown in the video, Janiyah Mishelle, later shared her side of the story on TikTok, explaining that she and her coworker felt uncomfortable serving the couple because of the husband’s pro-Trump merchandise and asked them to leave the store.
“He immediately gets loud, saying ‘discrimination, discrimination,’” Mishelle recalled in the video, adding that she believed workers have the right to refuse service when they feel uncomfortable during a customer interaction.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mishelle said her actions reflected her personal views and were not made on behalf of Smoothie King.
“My political opinions are very complex. I do not stand on behalf of any political party,” Mishelle said. “I merely refused service because of the alleged affiliations the Trump administration has to [pedophiles]. I believe in the United States and want to see our citizens standing up against binary political logic.”
“In my opinion, in this specific instance, I had the right to refuse service due to discomfort with a customer interaction — just as he had the right to wear the political merchandise,” she continued. “My statements were not on behalf of Smoothie King. I would also like to thank everyone who is currently supporting me through the digital harassment, political reframing, and job loss.”
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.