- A man's boss stood up for him when he went viral for raging at a woman in her car.
- She cited his good character and work in a video defending him, which amassed over 3 million views.
Many have been stung when their worst moments ended up on social media, judged by millions of people. Some get fired.
It could have happened, too, to Nigel Ford, who became briefly famous for hitting a woman's car in an angry showdown over a parking spot.
More than a million people watched the video, filmed in Newport Beach, California, last month. Many called for his boss to punish him.
But instead, his boss, Deena Saunders-Green, stood up for him.
Saunders-Green employs Ford at Green Pines Media, a company that helps disadvantaged artists monetize their work.
California's at-will employment laws mean she could fire Ford for any reason, including going viral in an embarrassing video.
But, she told Business Insider, she didn't want to judge her employee for a clip spreading online. Instead, she said, she acted based on his character, which she knew well.
"We're just trying to do business in a drastically different way, in a way that I wish our society and our culture and other employers would behave," Saunders-Green told BI. "We're all humans."
Social media vigilantes
Saunders-Green said her husband told her about the video. It was shared by a creator named Danesh, who has built a following of 1.9 million for calling out people behaving badly in public — known colloquially as "Karens."
The video was originally posted by a woman named Manuela on TikTok, who appears to be one of two people in the car.
@mmanuelaaaa Tik Tok help me find him to send this to his employer punching and kicking the car over a parking spot #newportbeach #fyp #foryou #orangecounty @Liliana
♬ original sound - Manuela
In it, Ford is shown hitting his body against the car. Two women can be seen calling him "crazy."
One tells him that "wherever you work is really gonna love this" — seeming to expect that he would be punished.
Manuela did not return a request for comment from BI made via TikTok.
Danesh reposted the video to his popular Instagram account, tagged Ford's Instagram handle, and shared some of his personal and work information.
Saunders-Green said Ford is generally "mild-mannered" and "just the nicest guy," so she contacted him to ask what happened.
He apologized right away, Saunders-Green said, and was embarrassed that he lost his cool.
(Saunders-Green forwarded an interview request to Ford himself, but he didn't respond.)
"He told me that he was waiting for a parking spot, and someone swooped in and got it," Saunders-Green said of Ford. "He had got out of the car essentially to confront them."
Saunders-Green said they had a discussion about Ford's behavior and how he could handle similar situations in the future.
"We handled it internally, and it was fine," she said, adding that her company puts "people before profits."
"Because we put people first, it wasn't a big deal to say, OK, we'll stand by you."
Threats of violence
Ford was relieved, she said, and told her about some of the backlash he'd been subjected to, including insults and death threats.
"Yes, it was bad behavior," Saunders-Green said of Ford, but she said she saw the video as "two privileged knuckleheads just misbehaving over something so insignificant."
Threats of violence were a step too far, she said.
Saunders-Green said she was also receiving emails telling her to fire Ford, with people threatening to take down her business if she didn't.
"It pissed me off because, number one, I'm 50 years old and menopausal, and I'm a Black woman," Saunders-Green said. "How dare you reach out to me and try to bully me?"
So, she decided to make her own video on August 19.
In it, she showed some of the messages Ford had been receiving and said she was standing by him.
It amassed over 3 million views, more than any single instance of the original meltdown video.
@deenasgreen I try to stay in my lane and do my small part to (hopefully) do some good in this #crazyworld ... but so many people are sending dms and being #vile , I had to say something! @Danesh yes, I do know #NigelFord . #veterans #usmcvet #usmc #formerfosteryouth #fostercarealumni #baddays #whiteprivilege #MentalHealthAwareness #twowrongsdontmakearight
♬ original sound - deenasgreen
An easy target
The general reaction was mixed. Many accused Ford of being aggressive toward the woman filming him, but others thought he had a right to be annoyed if she had stolen his spot.
When Saunders-Green posted her video, a ton of support rolled in, with people praising her response.
"This is the most realistic, humanistic and genuine response I have watched in this app," one comment reads.
Another said: "So rare these days to see someone giving someone else grace for having a bad day/moment. "
Saunders-Green said Ford became a "scapegoat" and that "people needed something to be angry with."
"He looked like this super-white guy, and how dare you use your white privilege or entitlement to bully a woman?" Saunders-Green said.
"I get it," she added. "I understand that completely. I'm an advocate for women. But let's not turn this into something it wasn't."
'We are all human'
Ford also responded publicly, posting a video on his Instagram.
He apologized to the woman in the car for reacting "poorly" and said he wanted to take accountability.
But, he also claimed Danesh "twisted" the situation to make him look worse, accusing him of profiting from online firestorms like the one he was in.
In a message to BI, Danesh said he stood by sharing the video and that he thought Ford's response was "incredibly smug, condescending, and manipulative."
"I never demanded that he be fired, nor did I direct anyone to get him fired or to threaten him, as he claims," he said. "I've always stated that I'm against harassment and threats."
He said both he and Manuela have been "receiving threats and harassment" as well.
"I didn't see them ever encourage that in their videos, but by their own logic, should I still blame them?" he said.
Danesh said he thought Ford was still refusing to take accountability and wanted to "blame the messenger."
"I don't see people running to say, 'they were just having a bad day' when brown or black people are caught on camera assaulting someone," Danesh said. "Yet we should for some reason make an exception for Nigel?"
Danesh said he didn't watch Saunders-Green's video and has "no interest" in it, though he said she has every right to her opinion.
"I always hope that everyone in all of my videos changes their behavior, but I can't force them," he said.
Saunders-Green, meanwhile, said she is determined to take advantage of the newfound attention and has been sharing information about how her business is fundraising for a new office building.
"We're using this as an opportunity to do something good," she said.