Who is Lilly Gaddis? TikToker faces backlash after using racial slur and refusing to apologize

TikToker Lilly Gaddis has faced widespread backlash after posting a video in which she audibly used a racial slur. Her account is no longer available on the platform, with her now-former employer also responding publicly.

During an otherwise unremarkable upload where she can be seen cooking and talking about relationships, Gaddis references marriage, using the slur about who “everyone I know” is currently married to.

Users on X/Twitter criticized the video, the prevailing sentiment being surprise that the offensive language was used so flippantly and without regard.

In the aftermath of the original video, Gaddis, known as Ilddis on TikTok, uploaded a follow-up statement, in which she said: “So a recent video of mine seems to have upset members of a certain community. All the backlash made me do a soul search. After all that, I still couldn’t find a care.”

A quote from Larry Flynt bookends the video. “If the First Amendment is intended to protect anything, it’s intended to protect offensive speech. If you’re not going to offend anyone, you don’t need protection.”

Responses to the above video have called for Gaddis to be fired from her job for her use of the slur, and while she did post saying that she had been fired, users weren’t sure it was legitimate. However, her former employer made a statement on June 11, 2024:

“We at Rophe of the Carolinas want to address a recent incident that has caused concern and upset among our stakeholders. A newly hired employee made inflammatory remarks on social media that do not align with the values and beliefs of our company. We want to make it clear that these sentiments are not representative of our organization, and we do not condone or support such behavior,” they said.

“As soon as we were made aware of the situation, we took immediate action to pull the employee from her assignment which is not directly with any client of ours, and the employee in question is no longer with our company.

“We are owned and operated by African American female and immigrant-owned business and handled this situation as quickly as we could. We want to assure you that we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful work environment where all individuals are valued and respected.”

Lilly’s TikTok account and all accompanying videos are no longer accessible, but it’s unclear whether the account was banned or decided to remove it herself.

As of writing, her Instagram and Twitter/X pages are still active.