Woman claims Taco Bell fired her after learning of pre-COVID job in porn industry
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A former Taco Bell employee in Arkansas is claiming she was fired from the job after a co-worker complained about her hot, fiery and perhaps even "diablo" off-the-clock activities.
Taco Bell, meanwhile, is claiming that Wells’ termination had nothing to do with her pornographic past work.
Lonna Wells, an adult "cam performer" who has previously been nominated for the pornography industry’s AVN Awards, alleges that Taco Bell recently terminated her employment because of this co-worker’s complaint, despite Wells informing her manager of her side-gig when she was hired.
"I took a job at my local Taco Bell to make ends meet during this pandemic and to have something to replace the shoots that were cancelled due to COVID-19," wrote Wells in an online fundraiser she organized to help pay her bills, and to potentially "get the Arkansas State laws changed" to protect sex workers from discrimination.
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In an interview with the Daily Beast, Wells claimed her manager had no qualms about her other work.
"I was very open about it and said, ‘Hey, this is what I do as a job right now and I’ve been doing it since 2017, is this going to cause any problems?’ And I was told by the manager, ‘No, it’s not going to cause any problems. Whatever you do in your spare time is your business,’" Wells told the outlet.
Wells — who has previously been nominated for two AVN awards, acording to the Daily Beast — described herself online as a "content creator and cam performer" in a description on her GoFundMe site. (iStock)
Less than two weeks into her employment, however, Wells said she was fired over the phone — and that her co-worker’s complaint was the reason why. The Daily Beast added that both her husband, and a another co-worker at the Taco Bell, could corroborate her story.
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But as the Daily Beast noted, Arkansas businesses are allowed to fire employees for any reason — or no reason — with the exception of terminating employment based on "age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability or genetic information," or, in the case that a female employee becomes pregnant or has an abortion.
"So, therefore, I can't do anything about it," Wells wrote in her online fundraiser.
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Taco Bell has since released a statement on Wells’ termination, but the corporation claims it had nothing to do with Wells’ online presence.
"Taco Bell team members come from diverse backgrounds and experiences and all are welcome into the Taco Bell family," reads a statement attributed to Taco Bell Corp. and shared with Fox News. "This former team member worked for a franchise location and the franchisee has informed us that the accusations made are not accurate and that she was instead terminated for violation of their policies and procedures."
"This former team member worked for a franchise location and the franchisee has informed us that the accusations made are not accurate and that she was instead terminated for violation of their policies and procedures," reads a statement released by Taco Bell. (iStock)
Taco Bell did not disclose which of the policies or procedures Wells had violated.
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In any case, Wells says she’ll be needing to look for other work in her small town (which she doesn’t have high hopes for, because everyone there "knows everybody’s business," she tells the Daily Beast) or perhaps start doing pornography again, despite the risks.
