Helen89/Shutterstock @mmsubaru/TikTok (Licensed)
Audra Schroeder
Internet Culture
Posted on Nov 4, 2022
A CarTok creator known as Koda was reportedly fired from her job at a Utah Subaru dealership, after derogatory comments about another influencer circulated.
CarTok is a TikTok community for car enthusiasts, and this controversy involved a DM conversation between Koda (@mavxmedia28) and another influencer named Mace (@maces2k).
In the exchange, Koda makes a comment about another influencer known as Sky (@sky_z33) and the fact that he has scoliosis, using a derogatory word to make fun of him.
In response, the hashtag #cancelkoda was created and others in the CarTok community labeled her ableist. There was also some confusion around who Koda was, as people tagged the wrong Koda(s) in TikTok comments.
TikTok doesn’t allow you to see how many views #cancelkoda now has, but it spread quickly.
In a TikTok posted Oct. 26, Mace broke down how this all apparently started: Koda posted a TikTok in August about girls who wrap their cars in pink, which got some backlash. Mace posted a video about wrapping her car in pink on Oct. 21, and tagged Koda.
In another TikTok from Oct. 26, as the #cancelkoda tag picked up momentum, Mace asked followers not to show up at Koda’s work or residence.
On Oct. 27, the Salt Lake City-based Mark Miller Subaru posted a TikTok about the drama that was unfolding. The dealership’s social media manager read an “official statement” from Subaru’s “marketing and culture directors,” confirming that Koda’s employment had been terminated, and that her behavior on TikTok was “antithetical to the values of our business.”
Koda posted an apology last week, to the CarTok community and Sky, saying: “i know that what i said was disgusting, insensitive, hurtful, and just downright disrespectful. and even though this has gotten around a lot more than anybody expected, it absolutely taught me a lesson and showed me that i need to be a better person.”
We reached out to Mark Miller Subaru for comment.
Audra Schroeder is the Daily Dot’s senior entertainment writer, and she focuses on streaming, comedy, and music. Her work has previously appeared in the Austin Chronicle, the Dallas Observer, NPR, ESPN, Bitch, and the Village Voice. She is based in Austin, Texas.
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