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A California business owner dubbed “Santa Clarita Karen” is breaking her silence after a viral confrontation with a street taco vendor sparked furious backlash, but her tearful mea culpa isn’t exactly winning over the internet.
Francesca Ortega posted an apology video after footage of her berating a taco vendor exploded online, showing her calling the woman a “stinky old woman” and threatening to call ICE.
Ortega now claims the viral clip didn’t tell the whole story.
“I’m not who they are portraying on that video. That video was taken out of context,” she said, while acknowledging that her behavior “was not acceptable.”
Ortega said she didn’t realize the gravity of invoking Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the heated exchange.
“I didn’t know the seriousness that would be taken to mention the word ICE,” she said. “I now understand the full weight it has and how sensitive people are to that and I am sorry, I’m truly sorry.”
The pregnant business owner blamed her outburst on anger and her impulsive personality, saying she “lost” her mind during the confrontation.
“I don’t know what happens to me when I’m pregnant,” Ortega said. “I say a lot of stupid sh-t.”
She added that she never should have confronted the vendor and insisted she expected the interaction to unfold differently.
But Ortega’s apology quickly shifted to the fallout engulfing her family, employees and Santa Clarita cleaning company, which she said she spent a decade building.
“My employees have bills to pay, they need to work,” Ortega said. “They can’t just be losing hours because people are angry at me.”
Through tears, she said the controversy was also hurting her children and unborn baby.
“I haven’t been able to eat, I haven’t been able to sleep since yesterday,” she said. “This is a complete nightmare.”
Social media critics weren’t exactly reaching for the tissues.
“How to make an apology video without actually apologizing 101,” one Instagram user sniped.
Another accused Ortega of being upset only after the tables turned, while others questioned whether she was truly remorseful or simply regretted the consequences.
“The harasser doesn’t like being harassed? Go figure 🙄 And you’re upset about your family’s life being disrupted? What do you think about the taco stands family if you had actually called ICE? Get a grip!” an annoyed user commented.
The firestorm has spilled into Ortega’s business, which she said was bombarded with negative reviews after the original confrontation went viral.
“Now all of my livelihood is ruined. The business that I worked so hard to build for 10 years,” she said, claiming her once-stellar ratings were flooded with one-star reviews.
Ortega also said she and her family have received threats and that she is now afraid to venture out in public.
But the bizarre saga took another turn when one of her critics, Ricardo Morales, told Fox 11 that Ortega retaliated against him by changing her company’s listed Google phone number to his.
Morales said he suddenly began receiving angry calls and texts from strangers who believed they were contacting Ortega’s business.
“It’s crazy to think that somebody can be that extremely vindictive and now won’t own up to their actions,” Morales told the station.
Ortega said she struck back because critics wouldn’t stop contacting her.
She has also maintained that she never intended to threaten the taco vendor, claiming the confrontation began after the woman photographed her license plate.
English (US)