The mother of the two girls at the center of the viral Alabama gas station bathroom video has broken her silence.
Zoe Lavely, the ex-partner of Oklahoma dad Tyler Brodsky, posted a lengthy statement on Facebook after the confrontation video racked up more than 23 million views on TikTok this week.
Mother of children not entirely convinced of Brodsky’s heroism
Lavely made clear she had no issue with how Brodsky handled the confrontation itself. But seeing her young daughters go viral was a different matter entirely.
“I actually don’t love this outcome as the mother of those two girls,” she wrote.
“Even though their dad handled the situation well, what everyone doesn’t see is the fear a mother has seeing their kids exposed all over the media. Every time I open my phone I see my three-year-old daughter in tears.”
She also took issue with Brodsky approaching the man after the incident, saying she saw him doing it “just for the video.”
Money accusations
Lavely went further, raising questions about the GoFundMe Brodsky set up in the wake of the video going viral and has now raised more than $2,500.
She claimed that Brodsky “hasn’t paid one penny” to support the girls this year, and accused him of looking to profit from the moment.
Brodsky responded through TMZ, saying he would not get into a public back-and-forth with the mother of his children.
“My focus has always been, and will continue to be, our daughters,” he said.
“As for the financial accusations, those are simply not accurate.”
What started it all
Brodsky was traveling from Florida to Oklahoma with his two young daughters last weekend when he stopped at a QuikTrip gas station in Alabama.
He checked the women’s restroom was empty before taking his girls inside, not wanting to bring them into what he called “a men’s bathroom full of grown men and dirty stalls.”
Another man, since identified as Mississippi realtor Robert Buckner, appeared in the doorway and demanded they leave, calling 911 and telling the dispatcher his wife and “very ill” mother-in-law were waiting to use the restroom.
One of Brodsky’s daughters was heard crying during the confrontation before a QuikTrip employee stepped in and shut the door on Buckner. Police attended but took no action against Brodsky.
Buckner has since lost his job at Starkville-based Overstreet Properties, which said his actions did not align with company values.
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