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A Cinnabon employee, who directed racial slurs at a Somali immigrant couple, is defending herself against accusations of racism by pointing out she had a “colored” son.
Crystal Wilsey, 43, lost her job at the bakery chain in Green Bay, Wisconsin, following a tirade in which she repeatedly used the N-word against the Muslim couple.
In a disturbing video from December 5, the mother of five is seen proclaiming, “I am racist, and you are a n*****,” during a conflict over caramel sauce.
Despite her apparent animosity towards minorities, Wilsey had a mixed-race son, Jovani Abel Valadez, who passed away 11 years ago at the age of 10 due to a rare neurological condition.
Wilsey referenced her half-Latino son in a TikTok video, attempting to defend herself amidst widespread backlash after the video of her rant circulated online.
‘PS, to the racism, if you look at my Facebook from 2010, you’ll see on there that I have a blended family, and my son was colored,’ she said – as the Daily Mail revealed earlier this week.
Wilsey’s daughter attempted to distance herself from the despicable language with her own apology.
‘I don’t condone what my mom did,’ the 23-year-old wrote on Facebook.
Crystal Wilsey, 43, reposted an old video of herself working at Cinnabon with her response to the outcry over her racist rant added over the top
‘It’s completely unacceptable to call people slurs, I do want to apologize to the people she did cause harm to.’
The young woman, who the Daily Mail is not naming, explained she hadn’t spoken to her mother in a year but ‘I know she will never apologize’.
‘I do not think it is ever OK to call someone a slur, it is so disrespectful and vile and I want to say to the victims of my mom’s racism that I am truly sorry for her actions,’ she continued.
Wilsey’s daughter clarified that her late Latino brother wasn’t black, as many people initially believed, and his skin was darker due to the medical condition that killed him.
‘I don’t know why my mom would say that as if it was going to make anything better,’ she wrote.
Wilsey also referenced Jovani’s condition – Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) – in her reply to a comment on her video, appearing to contradict herself.
‘He was discriminated against, called chocolate because he had brown skin – explanation of racism,’ she wrote.
Wilsey was seen in a now-viral video involved with a Somali couple at a Cinnabon location in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Despite her apparent hatred of minorities, Wilsey has a mixed-race son, Jovani Abel Valadez, who died 11 years ago of a rare neurological disorder
She then denied that her slur-filled tirade made her a racist, despite declaring ‘I am racist, and you are a n*****’ in her rant, and claimed she was the victim.
‘Standing up for myself and turning into a defensive individual for said reasons did not make me a racist,’ she claimed.
‘The initial word could be referenced to a racial slur, except he called me racist and I returned the comment, and you have no idea what occurred previously to her recording or the harassment I endured. But OK, got buns, hun!’
She replied to another comment condemning her as ’embarrassing to the human race’, saying ‘for defending and inspiring others? Okay Karen’.
Wilsey has a lengthy criminal history, including disorderly conduct to drug possession charges over the years, according to public records reviewed by the Daily Mail.
She was charged with driving while intoxicated in February 2022. That case was dismissed in April of that year, court records showed.
Wilsey was charged with misdemeanor child endangerment and marijuana possession in the same month, which were dismissed after she agreed to two years of probation.
She also had to complete parenting and anger management classes, and undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations.
Wilsey sits by her son’s gravestone five years after his death
Wilsey and her daughter clarified that Jovani wasn’t black, as many believed, and his skin was darker due to the medical condition that killed him
Earlier brushes with the law included a year’s probation for disorderly conduct and domestic abuse in 2001, and marijuana possession in 2002.
Wilsey was again arrested for disorderly conduct in 2003 and then in 2009 served three days in jail for another disorderly conduct charge.
Then in March 2015 she was jailed for 20 days after being caught driving without a license and while both intoxicated and under the influence in Hobart, Wisconsin.
Yet another disorderly conduct arrest got her 90 days in jail in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, in June 2016, and a DUI in nearby Oneida Tribe two months later.
Jovani died on November 22, 2014, a week after his 10th birthday, after a long battle with ALD.
The little boy was Wilsey’s second of five children, to at least two different men, and his father Juan Valadez Jr’s family is originally from Mexico.
Wilsey wrote online after her son’s death that Jovani passed holding her hands with friends and family by his side after his health rapidly went downhill over four days.
‘I sat by him day and night with occasional breaks.. I thought he was going to get thru this but no no no that was not the case… I lost a huge piece of my heart this day,’ she wrote.
ALD is a genetic disorder caused by a faulty gene that damages nerves and adrenal glands, causing serious neurological issues.
Jovani died on November 22, 2014, a week after his 10th birthday, after a long battle with Adrenoleukodystrophy
Wilsey explained Jovani developed aspirated pneumonia, which caused fluid to build up in his lungs. This is a well-known ALD side effect caused by the patient’s nervous system damage making it difficult to swallow.
‘He was still fighting til the end amazingly how that little guy kept going, but his body just kept shutting down on him slowly but then rapidly,’ she wrote.
‘I question myself daily how am I still going how can I keep going, but then I pray for strength to get me through the pain because as the days and nights still pass the pain gets worse but I still manage to get through with a smile.
‘Miss you my son my love forever in my heart baby. My future goal is to help raise awareness for this terrible disease.’
Wilsey had some hope six months earlier that her son would pull through, but admitted she was praying for a miracle.
‘Jovani is still going strong… the human brain no matter what dystrophy can be so strong with love. Keep the prayers going, there’s always room for miracles,’ she wrote.
Jovani’s obituary described him as a happy, loving little boy who enjoyed life.
‘He loved his family, playing video games, his Lego and little stuffed animals – he called his pet buddies,’ it read.
‘Jovani’s brown eyes and beautiful smile brightened every room and all the people that had the pleasure to meet him. His laughter and jokes will remain in our memories forever and always.’
Wilsey, 43, was fired from the bakery chain in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after repeatedly calling the Muslim couple the N-word in an unhinged rant
Wilsey wrote that Jovani died holding her hands with friends and family by his side after his health rapidly went downhill over four days
Wilsey was far less compassionate, however, to Somali immigrant Farhia Ahmed and her husband when they entered the Cinnabon store where she worked.
Ahmed’s cousin Sabrina Osman explained the couple popped in for a bite to eat while out shopping at Bay Park Mall in the Green Bay suburb of Ashwaubenon.
‘As soon as they approached the counter, they could tell the atmosphere was not welcoming at all because of the worker’s facial expression and attitude,’ she claimed.
Ahmed asked Wilsey to add more caramel topping to her pecan cinnamon roll.
Osman claimed that Wilsey responded, ‘You could see me squeezing it through that witch-craft bandana you’re wearing on top of your head,’ in reference to Ahmed’s hijab.
That was when Ahmed started recording as the confrontation escalated.
‘B***h a*** n*****. I am racist, and you are a n*****,’ Wilsey, dressed in a gray sweatshirt with her long hair down, told the pair.
The man then told her: ‘You are an idiot.’
‘I am racist and I’ll say that to the whole entire world,’ she said before pointing her finger at the husband and wife and adding: ‘Don’t be disrespectful!’
‘You’re ruining your life by the way,’ Osman’s cousin told Wilsey.
‘Byeeee,’ Wilsey said with a smile.
At one point, Wilsey was seen turning around and motioning toward her backside during the dispute
Wilsey claimed she isn’t racist because she had a ‘colored’ son
She then raised both her middle fingers in front of her face as she stared directly at the camera.
‘You talk about respect? You are fired from this place motherf**ker. You’re not gonna be working here,’ the husband told her before Wilsey made a vulgar display.
She crossed her arms and motioned toward the lower half of her body and told the couple: ‘Suck it!’
‘Suck what? Look how you f**king look like,’ the man replied.
‘Suck it,’ she replied before the Somali woman asked her: ‘What’s wrong with you?’
‘What the f*** is wrong with you, you f**king ugly b****, get the f*** out of my face,’ Wilsey replied as she continued to flip off the customers.
The man then asked her: ‘Talking about ugliness?’ before Wilsey replied: ‘Did I stutter?’
‘You the ugliest person I’ve ever seen in my life,’ the husband told the unhinged employee.
She responded: ‘Good!’ before calling the couple ‘f**king evil f**ks.’
‘Keep squeezing that caramel b***h,’ he shouted at her before Wilsey turned around and showed off her backside to the customers and smiled.
Jovani enjoying a ride on an ATV with his uncle Nathaniel
Wilsey has a lengthy criminal history, including disorderly conduct to drug possession charges over the years
Cinnabon said the franchise owner of the shop quickly fired Wilsey after the ‘deeply troubling video’ appeared online.
The company said her ‘actions and statements are completely unacceptable and in no way reflect the values of Cinnabon, our franchisees, or the welcoming environment we expect for every guest and team member.’
‘We take this situation seriously and remain committed to ensuring all guests are treated with dignity, respect, and kindness every time they visit one of our bakeries.’
A fundraiser painting Wilsey as the victim, claiming Ahmed and her husband ‘decided to make her shift hell with intimidation’ has raised almost $150,000.
‘No White person should lose their job for refusing to be harassed by Somalians,’ it claimed.
The Daily Mail contacted Wilsey and Osman for comment but has not received a response.
