The South Carolina mother who captured national attention after a viral TikTok showed her running a Burger King entirely on her own says she’s now out of a job.
In June, Nykia Hamilton, 25, was filmed juggling every role at the Columbia location — from cooking and cleaning to taking orders and serving customers. The video spread quickly online, drawing sympathy and support for the single mom of three, who had been working two jobs to provide for her family.
Hamilton revealed on August 8 through TikTok that she had been fired, allegedly for arriving late to work.
“My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing,” she said tearfully in the video. “My mind is already fed up. I’m trying to keep pushing for my kids, but I cannot do this s no more. The devil been on my back bad.”
A Burger King spokesperson told The Independent that employees should never be left to operate a restaurant alone and expressed disappointment that proper staffing policies were not followed.
“Terminations are the decision of the franchisees who own and operate the BK restaurant,” the spokesperson added. “In this situation, the franchisee confirmed that the individual involved is no longer employed due to repeated attendance issues. While we can’t share more on individual personnel matters, we’re focused on making sure every restaurant, whether company or franchise-run, has the staffing and support needed to take care of our Team Members and deliver the kind of experience our Guests expect.”
After her initial viral moment, Hamilton started a GoFundMe campaign, which has now raised more than $96,000. In a recent update, she thanked supporters: “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.”
Earlier, Hamilton spoke with local affiliate WACH FOX, where she explained how demanding the job had become and how much time it pulled her away from her children.
“I be missing out on my kids’ lives and I work a lot,” she said. “I have to provide for them, but I really don’t have time to spend with them—and it hurts me a lot.”
She described working 12-hour shifts entirely by herself, closing the restaurant alone and handling every task: “Had to do the dishes, do prep, do the floor, do the front counter, drive-thru.”
Despite the challenges, Hamilton expressed gratitude for the opportunity, saying her manager had given her a chance when others wouldn’t.
“I wouldn’t have no job because I do have a record, and it is hard to find a job with a record,” she said. “And by grace of God, she gave me a job. So that’s the only reason why I stayed for her.”
