A Tennessee dental staff member who made headlines for mocking a cancer patient’s private diary is still laughing and enjoying his newfound infamy: “a motherfucker.”
Kelsey Pollard, one of several employees fired from Knoxville’s Premier Dental Group after the brutal video went viral this week, couldn’t help but gleefully film a follow-up TikTok video mocking the outrage.
“When people talk about how I’m the worst person,” she captioned a video of her grinning and flashing a peace sign at the camera.
To get the message across, Pollard then pretends to walk obediently and climb onto a trash can, before finishing by smiling and waving at the camera.
Pollard made her TikTok account private shortly after sharing the video with the hashtag “#viral.”
She and several of her colleagues were fired this week after a video of them reading and mocking the private diaries of cancer patients was published online, sparking outrage from all corners of the internet and accusations of a flagrant invasion of privacy.
The video, filmed by another employee, shows Pollard sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning forward intently, while another female employee, dressed in black scrubs, mocks a patient’s diary entry, which details his fears that “there is no other treatment” for his cancer.
A male employee was also in the room but appeared to choose to scroll through his phone rather than intervene, the video shows.
“Found a patient’s diary so now it’s story time LOL,” the employee who shared the video wrote in the video’s caption.
Premier Dental Group in Knoxville acknowledged and apologized Monday that “some of our employees created and shared inappropriate videos that addressed individuals’ medical conditions in a disrespectful and unprofessional manner.”
“We deeply regret this incident and the people who were hurt. [it] “This action caused,” the incident was said in a since-deleted statement on Facebook.
A PDG spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post that the female employee involved in the incident was “terminated with immediate effect,” and an investigation found that the male employee was not involved and kept his job.
“We are committed to maintaining a respectful and professional environment for everyone and will continue to take the necessary steps to maintain these standards,” the clinic said.
