Nelle Diala, a former Alaska Airlines flight attendant who was reportedly fired for twerking on a plane, addressed the controversy. In an interview with Inside Edition posted on YouTube on Friday, February 28, 2025, Diala tearfully claimed she was celebrating the end of her probationary period and not trying to be unprofessional.
For the unversed, last November Diala shared a clip of her dancing and twerking in the aisles of an empty commercial airplane on TikTok. She captioned the video:
"Ghetto bih till i D-l-E, dont let the uniform fool you."
Soon the 15-second video went viral. Upon discovery, Alaska Airlines allegedly fired her for violating their employee social media policy, she claimed
"I put on a proud face every time I stepped on that plane and for them to terminate me without giving me a chance, it just was unfair."
Nelle Diala started a GoFundMe campaign in her support after being fired
Nelle Diala, in her interview with Inside Edition's Ann Mercogliano, explained that she was scheduled to take an early morning flight.
"I decided to just take advantage of the moment to wake myself up and get myself hyped up for my day," the former flight attendent explained.
She noted that she didn't think her dancing would be "deemed inappropriate."
The outlet reported that Alaska Airlines denied their request for comment.
In January, Diala started a GoFundMe campaign to help support her since she lost her job, stating:
"I’ve started this GoFundMe to make ends meet due to this sudden loss of income and until I am able to find another flight attendant position elsewhere."
On the page, she explained that she was six months into her "dream job" with Alaska Airlines when she made the video. The flight attendant revealed she grew up in San Francisco, and the dance commemorated her completing the end of her probationary period and "making out of her hard upbringing."
In the six months that she worked with the company, she lost her two English bulldogs and had troubles in her relationship as she spent a significant portion of time away. Despite the hardships, Nelle Diala explained she loved her job.
The flight attendant also noted she used the income from her job to fund her lingerie and baking businesses—@figure8.lingerie and @cakezncake, respectively.
Referencing the TikTok video, Diala revealed it was recorded during a layover, adding:
"It was a harmless clip that was recorded at 6 am while waiting 2 hours for pilots."
In the page, Nelle explained she didn't expect her TikTok to bring "scrutiny." She admitted that it was a "poor decision" on her part but didn't expect it to cost her the job.
Nelle Diala claimed that the airlines fired her for violating their social media policy. She unsuccessfully tried to plead her case that she didn't intend to cause harm to the company, adding that she didn't mention the airlines by name in the video. It is worth noting that the uniform worn in the clip is unique to Alaska Airlines.
In a statement made to The Independent, the company stated that they generally don't comment on "personnel matters" but added that they held "flight attendants to high standards for conduct and guest care."
Nelle Diala's GoFundMe has raised a little over $3,300 in donations at the time of this writing.
