Burger King employee who went viral running a franchise alone has been fired

Nykia Hamilton, the mother who went viral for working alone at a Burger King, has been fired by the franchise for repeated lateness, a decision she attributes to prioritizing her children…

Burger King just fired Nykia Hamilton, mom-of-3, who went viral after running the store alone for 12 hours pic.twitter.com/2Sv26IDv2J

— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) August 22, 2025

COLUMBIA, SC—A South Carolina mother-of-three who went viral for single-handedly managing a busy Burger King has been fired by the company, a decision she claims was due to her being late.

In a tearful video posted on TikTok on August 8, Nykia Hamilton, 25, announced she had been terminated, stating, “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing.” She had previously gained a large following in June after a viral video showed her performing the jobs of several employees at once, including preparing food, taking orders, and cleaning.

Hamilton explained to local news outlets that she often worked alone for 12-hour shifts to support her family, but now her employment has ended. When contacted for comment, a Burger King spokesperson confirmed that Hamilton was no longer employed, but emphasized that the decision was made by the local franchise owner.

“No Team Member should ever be left to run a restaurant alone, even for a short period of time,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company’s policy requires more than one employee per shift. “Terminations are the decision of the franchisees who own and operate the BK restaurant. In this situation, the franchisee confirmed that the individual involved is no longer employed due to repeated attendance issues.”

Since her initial viral video, Hamilton has started a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $96,000 as of publication. She wrote on the page, “Thank yall so much for the support I didn’t expect turn out but I promise I won’t let yall stay tune for videos dropping soon.”