After Walt Z, a Michigan pizza store worker, went viral for standing up to the harassment of an influencer in the name of a prank video, social media users speculated that the video may cost Walt Z his job. But Red Baron Pizza announced that Walt is still working and now he has a fan club. The pizza store also floated making Walt the employee of the month. The GoFundMe fundraiser, meanwhile, raised more than $450K and is nearing $500K now.
Why did the Michigan father go viral?
An influencer made a prank video featuring Walt Z pretending to steal money from Walt. The video begins with the influencer asking Walt Z for the time while he is stocking Red Baron pizzas into a grocery store freezer. As Walt Z pulls out his phone to check, the influencer plays a chime that mimics an Apple Pay transaction, then declares that he just stole $10 from Walt Z.“You’re probably making money off of this. And I can’t even pay my goddamn mortgage. And I’ve got four kids at home,” Walt Z said.“Life is hard enough as it is. I don’t need this crap.” Walt also said that he was already one hour late and still had a lot of work.The influencer asked him to hold and said it was all a joke.The video, initially shared on Instagram by an account operating under the handle @thea.ctiveworld, also known as Three Of A Kind, sparked widespread criticism. The account appeared to have been deactivated following the backlash.After the video went viral, strangers came together to start a fundraiser for Walt. Luke Oakenshield, who started the fundraiser, said he did not know Walt personally but wanted to help him and his family. After the fundraiser got huge donations, he said he connected with Walt. GoFundMe also confirmed that they are working with Oakenshield to make sure Walt Z gets the money.A spokesperson for Red Baron’s parent company, Schwan, told The New York Post that Walt Z is a direct store delivery employee, adding that the viral incident occurred sometime in August.
