- A TikTok-famous paramedic apologized after making an insensitive joke about a patient with dwarfism.
- He said he played a song from "The Wizard of Oz" to his colleague to try to make him laugh.
A TikTok-famous paramedic has apologized and abandoned the platform after making an insensitive joke about a person with dwarfism.
Tennessee-based paramedic Zac Crickenberger, better known as The Sleepy Paramedic, posted a long apology following backlash over a video where he described arriving at the scene of a deceased person with dwarfism and playing a song by the Munchkins from "The Wizard of Oz."
Crickenberger's video was shared and criticized by Aubrey Smalls, a popular TikTok creator with dwarfism.
Smalls' response to Crickenberger has amassed over 200,000 views. In it he shared Crickenberger's original video, which has now been deleted, where Crickenberger said he arrived on the scene to find a person who had died that was "3 feet tall," and "not a child, but a dwarf."
Crickenberger said it was a common belief among paramedics that "you never find a deceased dwarf."
"We really think they're immortal," he said. "They never get sick, they never call 911, we've never seen one."
Crickenberger also said that when he got back into the ambulance he faced away from the family so they couldn't see him and started playing "The Lollipop Guild" — a song sang by the Munchkins in "The Wizard of Oz" — to his colleague to make him laugh.
"I am aware that I'm an asshole but it was really, really funny," Crickenberger said.
Smalls, and other creators with dwarfism, said Crickenberger's comments were in poor taste.
@aubreysmalls @The Sleepy Paramedic ♬ original sound - Aubrey Smalls
Smalls also said doctors and medical personnel never use the term "dwarf."
"It just shows me that he's not really educated when it comes to dwarfism," Smalls said. "There's a lot of little people out there."
Dwarfism is a catch-all term for restricted growth, which affects about one in every 15,000 to 20,000 people born each year. The preferred terms for people with dwarfism can be "little person" or "person of short stature."
Smalls pointed out that it would be incredibly hurtful for the family of the person who died to see the video.
"Imagine the family of that victim who had passed away having to see this video," he said. "Of the people they had entrusted to take care of the body of their loved one making fun of the fact they were a little person."
Another creator, named Brandy, said Crickenberger worked at the hospital her son, who has dwarfism, regularly goes to.
"Nobody with that kind of mindset should be working in the medical field, period," she said. "And for him to go on a social media platform and to admit that he did this, I'm so mad, I'm shaking."
@thegreylife #stitch with @Aubrey Smalls ♬ original sound - Brandy-thegreylife
Smalls said he had utmost respect for healthcare workers, and he understood people needed ways to cope with the things they see every day, but he thought making fun of a person in front of their family was not acceptable.
He added that he didn't think Crickenberger was a bad person, but urged him to make a public apology "clarifying his intentions with his video."
Crickenberger's account, which has over 700,000 followers, has now been wiped of every video except one — a six-minute long apology posted on Sunday.
Crickenberger said in that video he had received hundreds of messages, emails, and comments expressing disgust and disappointment with his first video. He also said that he had received "death threats."
@thesleepyparamedic My apology.
♬ original sound - The Sleepy Paramedic
"I have had a number of people with dwarfism reach out to me and explain to me in great detail just how fucked up the video that I made was," Crickenberger said.
He also said that he had watched dozens of videos from people who had criticized him for being "heartless." He said he didn't realize the issue when he posted it.
He said making dark jokes was how healthcare working "learn to deal" with their trauma, but "that does not mean that people outside this community need to hear any of it." He said in retrospect he didn't know why it was funny to begin with, and he didn't know when he got to that point.
"Maybe I just need to get off TikTok altogether," he said.
"Sorry guys, too many threats," his bio now reads. "I'm out. Be good to each other."
Crickenberger didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.