Janene Hoskovec (or Coughing Karen) now needs to find a new job after her hilarious antics in a grocery store became viral.
Janine Hoskovec of Arizona is out of work after being filmed coughing on a mother-daughter pair who were shopping in a Super Saver grocery shop in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Newsweek reports that the incident happened on Sept. 3, and quickly became viral when it was shared by Reddit under the title Anti Mask Karen Deliberately coughing on me at South 27th Super Saver. Hoskovec (54), is accused of harassing shoppers who were wearing masks during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Hoskovec could be seen coughing on the woman recording her before calling sheep.
The encounter was filmed by the 13-year old daughter of the woman. She shared the clip via TikTok. The video was posted on Twitter by the girls father who wasn't there. They chose a mother/child to harass. They just wanted to escape. Lady followed them. Others stepped in. They didn't tell the lady to wear mask/leave, but they did break it up.
Hoskovec smiles at one point and says that her allergies are making her cough. You can see the Twitter embed below.
COVID-denier in Nebraska coughs on shoppers at a supermarket pic.twitter.com/Ejy9HfsshS Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) September 7, 2021
Jessabird posted the video on Reddit. She wrote, "So my kid and I were at a store tonight to pick-up groceries. When this lady approached us, I was thinking she was going to ask for help or where something was." When she asked us why we were wearing masks, I was just about to reply, "I don't work here." It was then that I realized she wasn't wearing one.
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I began to walk away while she replied, "Due to the Delta variant and also because there is a mandate." She continued on about her Nebraska roots and how it was too bad that many Nebraskans have become sheep. She then asked me if I had ever been vaccinated and replied that I and my child don't need to wear masks as we are young and healthy. Although there were many people wearing masks, she chose to focus on my child and me.
Jessabird continued. I said to her that she should keep her distance from me and that her constant coughing was an assault. She kept laughing and saying, "Look at you! It's so cute how scared!" I was now absolutely furious, trying to keep it together in front my child. I stopped shopping and instead went to the self checkout to pay my items.
She then followed me to the self-checkout right next to mine. I told the clerk that the woman had harmed me in the store by deliberately coughing on me. I didn't wait to hear what the employee had to say. I wanted us to get out of here.
This clip has been viewed over 4,000,000 times on Twitter.
Janene Hoskovec (Screenshot)
Lincoln's city has required all people, vaccinated or not, to wear a mask in all indoor spaces.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Hoskovec was employed in Tempe by the Arizona branch SAP. In a Twitter statement, the German software company said that her internet fame was causing concern. It stated: "The health and safety of our workers and the communities where we live and work is of paramount concern to us." We are investigating the incident involving a SAP employee and taking it seriously.
The company stated Wednesday that it had reviewed the incident and could confirm that the person in question does not work for SAP.
Hoskovec Coughing Karen has been dubbed by the internet.
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