“Cinnamon Roll Gets Cold: Cinnabon Worker Fired After Racist Tirade Goes Viral”

At a Cinnabon bakery inside the Bay Park Square Mall in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, what should’ve been a simple cinnamon-roll order turned into a nightmare. A female employee — later identified as Crystal Terese — didn’t just mess up the caramel: she unleashed a full-on barrage of racial slurs and hateful ranting against a Black Somali Muslim couple. The clip — recorded by the shocked customers — shows her cackling, calling herself a “racist,” spitting the N-word, mocking the woman’s hijab, and flipping obscene gestures. Then telling them to “suck it.” Yikes.

The wildest part? She did all this out loud at work, right in front of customers — and got the receipts, literally and figuratively. The video exploded across TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and beyond, leaving viewers shocked, disgusted, and fuming.

Within hours — maybe days — the backlash reached fever pitch. Cinnabon’s franchise owner didn’t even hesitate: Crystal was fired on the spot. In a statement, the chain condemned her behavior, saying it’s “completely unacceptable” and in no way reflects the values or welcoming atmosphere they claim to uphold.

But hold up — it doesn’t end there. After the firing, something ugly flickered online: a fundraising campaign popped up on a conservative crowdfunding site defending Crystal. The “Stand With Crystal” campaign painted her as a “hardworking mother wronged by her employer,” twisted the story into one of victimhood, and started collecting donations. And some people — disturbingly — were already throwing money her way. 

Naturally, social-media users went off. Some demanded that Cinnabon do more than fire someone: they’re calling for sensitivity training, accountability, and a public stand against racism — not just silence after the fact. Others offered solidarity to the Somali couple, reminding everyone that slurs and hate hide behind “just a bad shift” far too often. 

The video — now piling up millions of views — has become more than a scandal: it’s a lightning rod for deeper conversations about racism, Islamophobia, and how even a cinnamon-roll run can turn into a hate crime in plain sight.