Tennessee resident Sonya Holt became a viral sensation after footage of her harassing a Black Lives Matter protester lit up the internet. Now, she’s lost her job over her behavior.
NBC affiliate WCYB reports that video of Holt chanting “White lives matter. White lives are better” went viral following a rally in Elizabethton over the weekend. In another clip, she tells another protester “You’re a gay homosexual piece of crap who’s going to burn in hell.”
Sierra Gilmer, who filmed one of the videos, says meeting women like Holt is just par for the course when it comes to recent protests. “The biggest thing to take away from this is just to realize that racism is in your community however much you think it might not be,” she told WCYB. “There are a lot of people that reached out to me saying that they didn’t realize that this was happening in Elizabethton and they didn’t realize there were people there like that.”
Related: WATCH: This homophobic 4th of July Karen is definitely not making America great
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Subsequent to clips of her going viral over the weekend, Holt granted an interview to local station WHJL in which she apologized for her actions. “I would like to apologize to the little girl,” Holt said. “I did not know that she was a minor. If I had known she was a minor, I would have never spoken to her…That comment about me saying ‘silly little black girl’ – I would have said that if it was a white girl. I would have said ‘silly little white girl.’ So I do apologize for saying that. I did not mean to demean anybody. Of course, I apologize to her family. I did not know she was a minor. I am very, very, sorry for that.”
@karensgonewild_ Meet Sonya Holt, the East Tennessee Karen, the most inbred of the Karens! Video from the Elizabethton BLM protest yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ZuapcaHL94
— sofi (ACAB) (@sofiiisabella) July 6, 2020
In the same interview, Holt confirmed that her employer, Keith Family Vision Clinic in Johnson City, had terminated her over the videos. “I no longer have a job,” she admitted. “I don’t have any animosity towards the doctors I worked for. They’re great people. Of course, I didn’t want their business to suffer because of mistakes that I made and I have great respect for them. They did what they had to do to protect their business.”
It’s also worth noting that Holt did not apologize for her homophobic remarks to a protester. “As far as the gentleman that I said some bad remarks about his sexuality,” Holt says, “prior to that, you’re not seeing that on video. I was just standing there, along with everybody else. And he called me ‘Ku Klux Karen’ because of my haircut. And he said that I was a member of the KKK. And he repeated this several times. And then when I lashed out at him and called him what I did, which I shouldn’t have said because his sexuality is none of my business. I was just angry and I lashed out.”
Seth Loven, the protester in question, denies calling Holt “Ku Klux Karen.” Despite a number of protesters in the vicinity filming the protest, no video footage of him referring to Holt by that derisive name has surfaced.
Mister P
Free speech does not mean freedom from consequences.
sonic_source
Amen. I’ve been telling people that for years. You can say whatever you want, but don’t be surprised if what you say gets you in trouble.
radiooutmike
And it only applies to government interference. So, if companies drop Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson, it is not a 1st Amendment issue. Just good business sense.
joelk57
Thank You this is often over looked. Speak your mind however know there are repercussions or consequences that come with that.
mattachinepodcast
“I’m very sorry I got caught.”
otttovan
So if it was a white girl she would have said “Black lives are better”? Sure Jan, sure.
Chrisk
Funny that no where in there can you hear anyone saying black lives are better. You could see her getting more and more angry. She’s lying and therefore meant every single every word of it.
Plus, if he was really saying all that why not just call him an asshole like normal people. Instead you went full on Ku Klux Klan Karen and proved him right.
Troysky
@Chrisk ….exactly right. …..and have to say the “Ku Klux Karen” she said he said… made me blast out laughing. Anyway, when EVERYTHING you do backfires hard, you’d think someone like this would get a hint.
Cam
Multiple people filming and NONE filmed what this woman claimed happened. Typical Racist Trumper, sorry she got caught, and lying to try to play victim.
Cam
“”Holt granted an interview to local station WHJL in which she apologized for her actions. “I would like to apologize to the little girl,” Holt said. “I did not know that she was a minor. If I had known she was a minor, I would have never spoken to her…””
Two things.
1. She didn’t know that the “Little Girl” was a minor? Calling her little girl would seem to indicate she knew.
2. Interesting that she thinks racism is ok if you’re not yelling it at a minor.
Sheesh.
Kangol2
No logic whatever with racist Karens like this. Or rather the logic is completely illogical.
Catholicslutbox
Not defending her, but she was pretty pc for a racist. No homophobic or racial slurs.
TomG
No homophobic slurs? I guess you didn’t read the entire article. It stated “In another clip, she tells another protester “You’re a gay homosexual piece of crap who’s going to burn in hell.'” She is also apparently as dumb as sh*t since she doesn’t know that gay = homosexual.
TMBisAOK
Ya kinda are defending her. Not every racist homophobe yells the “f” or “n” word. She doesn’t getting extra credit for NOT using those words. Sheesh.
Catholicslutbox
Nope, I’m not.
She’s obviously both, But it was interesting that she was showing restraint when most don’t
BigRedEO
Please stop calling them Karens. We are now calling them Ivankas.
TomG
That does seem more appropiate.
TomG
The woman said “That comment about me saying ‘silly little black girl’ – I would have said that if it was a white girl. I would have said ‘silly little white girl.’” So everything with her seems to be about what color a person is. That’s PATHETIC.
Terrycloth
Respect , civility, common courtesy has been replaced by being an a hole to anybody you fell like.the president instigates it and relishes it…his base takes the bait and eats it up…I see it just about everywhere I shop the name calling the obsenities..and fights too…unbelievable
chi eg
“His sexuality is none of my business.” Translation: “I hate the gays, but I should leave to God to strike them down!”
zealot
Makes my list for the most egregious “Sorry/Not Sorry” so far this year. And going on TV to further “explain” her actions just made it much worse. Awful person!
joelk57
This particular “Karen” is a product of the area and how she was raised, it is evident in her responses to the station who was interviewing her. Limited eduction coupled with lack of breeding creates this pathetic excuse of a human being. She’s only sorry she was exposed for who and what she is.
stanhope
That 6th grade educated, fat, QVC watching trailer dweller now fits the stereotype of the minorities she denounces….unemployed, uneducated, fat and lazy who hasnt has a working man between her thighs in 40 years. Bye karen…take a summer’s eve bath.
barryaksarben
SHe continues to lie about the event. Saying she was provoked by the kkk comment when NO ONE filmed it is just a way for her to still feel like she is the victim. SO glad they fired her.
LifeCoachInfluencer
More of the usual – “I’m sorry I got caught expressing how I really feel…” Buh-bye K…K…Karen!!!
sillyme
From what I could hear from the video clip it’s just a state with lots of racists run rampant at that time and older people galore that just hate anyone not white or a breeder. Poor little Karen’s all of them regardless of gender.
woodroad34
“I did not mean to demean anybody”…and yet the most obviously demeaning thing was that she was blocking a bridge so the group couldn’t get across–she was right at the front. I sincerely doubt that she would have screamed at a little white girl–exactly pointing out that she was ‘white’–she just would have said “silly little girl”. She knew what she was doing with all the hate she could muster in her little heart. She didn’t need to have someone call her “ku klux karen”–it was obvious from her stance and who she was with.
DavidIntl
Let’s just take a moment to show some empathy for every decent, caring person who happens to have been named “Karen” by their parents… 2020 sucks for everyone, but for the good Karens of the world, holy cow.
Woteva
I guarantee this woman (?) will get her own reality TV show.
Just watch…
rocknstan
Of course she voted for Cheeto.
butchqueen
When you reveal to the world that you are an utter piece of trash, there are concequences.
Invader7
Bitch is so dense not to realize cameras are everywhere and everything is on video these days. Miss Assbackwards got caught. Consequences you Trump brown nosing crunt !!!