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Fired Cracker Barrel Manager 'Brad's Wife' Becomes Internet Meme

An Indiana man's question for the popular food and retail chain sparked a wave of online heckling towards the company.

Published March 28, 2017

 (Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock)
Image Via Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

An Indiana man's question regarding his wife's alleged firing led to the Cracker Barrel restaurant and retail chain being mocked online.

The heckling stemmed from a 27 February 2017 Facebook post by Bradley Reid Byrd, who criticized the company for firing his wife, Nanette:

To say I'm pissed off would be an understatement. After 11 years, those low lifes at Cracker Barrel let my wife go. I would really like to know why and those of you who know me these days, know that I WILL find out. In the mean time, if any of you would like to know also, please go to their Facebook page and ask them. I would really appreciate it. Their half assed excuse was that she wasn't working out. After 11 YEARS? Come on. This old boy is STORMING!!!! You can't even get people to work 40 hours these days and her AVERAGE week was 50 to 60. Needless to say, we WILL be seeing an attorney soon. If anybody knows a good labor attorney, please let me know. Thank you. I'd better quit now before I go too far. By the way.

Nearly a month later, Byrd asked the company on the Crack Barrel Facebook page, "Why did you fire my wife?":

The visibility of that post was amplified by comedian Amiri King, who posted screenshots of the ensuing thread on his own account, calling it an "absolute shit show."

Online users have since peppered the company with mockery online. A "Brad's Wife" Facebook page was created along with the #JusticeForBradsWife hashtag, which spawned several memes:

The company's social media activity has faced disruption by users mockingly sticking up for Byrd's wife. Some users also trolled singer Alison Krause when she promoted a television appearance sponsored by the chain:

Byrd has insisted that his account of his wife's firing is real and encouraged new followers not to harass employees at individual Cracker Barrel outlets. In a 28 March 2017 post, he stated that he had contacted the company privately "to see if they would like to chat."

An online petition seeking "Justice for Brad's wife" has amassed more than 24,000 signatures. The organizer, Timothy McCardell II, stated that he would send a copy of the petition to Cracker Barrel's headquarters if it reached 10,000 signatures and promised to send them yet another copy after it doubled that mark.

We have contacted both Byrd and Cracker Barrel seeking comment on the attention the situation has gained online.

Sources

Judkis, Maura.   "Why Did Cracker Barrel Fire Brad’s Wife? The Internet Demands Answers."     The Washington Post.   24 March 2017.

Arturo Garcia is a former writer for Snopes.

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