Protest video rant costs man his job, lifestyle

Three years later, Adam Smith still hasn’t been able to shake the viral YouTube video that cost him his job and changed his life.

Smith moved to Portland about three years ago, shortly after he was fired from his $200,000 a year job as a CFO in Tucson, Arizona. Smith said he lost his job soon after he posted a protest video showing him berating a Chick-fil-A employee for the company’s reported donations to anti-gay organizations.

“I was cringing while I was doing it. But it was also a protest,” Smith said to KPTV. “I’ve seen other protests, and this seems like a mild protest, and I explained it away in my mind while I was in the drive-thru.”

The woman who was the target of Smith’s rant appeared to handle the verbal assault with grace, even wishing Smith a nice day on his way out of the drive-thru. Smith later posted a video apologizing to the woman. She accepted the apology in an appearance on national television, but by then, Smith had drawn the ire of Chick-fil-A supporters and others, some of whom lobbed Internet threats at him. Smith’s wife, Amy, said someone even nailed a threatening letter to the door of their Tucson home.

“There aren’t words for it,” said Amy Smith. “The kind of bullying that happened afterward is something I wasn’t prepared for at all.”

Adam Smith couldn’t find another job in Tucson, and had to sell the family’s home and move to Portland in a used RV. Once in Oregon, he managed to land another job as a CFO, or so he thought.

“Someone must have googled my name, and it went viral in the company, and it became a distraction,” said Smith. “They fired me the day after Thanksgiving.”

That was more than two years ago, and Smith said he has been unable to find work ever since, getting a few offers that were later rescinded. He said he has learned from his experience, and regrets making the protest video.

“I was not happy with the way I treated her. Not at all,” said Smith. “I think people just need to see who I really am. Right now there’s a 2.5 minute video that defines me on the Internet.”

Smith has written a book, titled “Million Dollar Cup of Water,” that describes his experience. He said he, his wife, and four kids are currently getting by on an income of about $25,000 a year and food stamps.