Christian influencer Ariana Cossie had recently gone viral for being “too pretty” to work at Home Depot. And now, the young woman says the attention she received has forced her to create a new life for herself.
On Tuesday, Cossie took to TikTok and shared how her life changed after the photo went viral on social media. She told viewers she was forced to quit her job and may have to find a new home and other ways to make a living after being doxxed online.
“Since I’ve blown up on the internet, I’ve received so much backlash,” Cossie said in the nearly three-minute clip.
@arianacossie God got me. #christian #fyp #God #Jesus #Faith
On June 8, Cossie shared the photo to her Twitter account and received 35 million views from users on the platform, Atlanta Black Star reported.
The situation intensified after the popular page Daily Loud tweeted in a now-deleted tweet whether she should quit her job at Home Depot and create an OnlyFans account to make more money.
Cossie quickly shut things down, stating she was only interested in creating content focused on Christianity, fashion and beauty.
In the clip, Cossie said it was a mixture of good and bad attention she received on social media. However, she couldn’t understand why users on Twitter hated her for standing up for herself and her beliefs.
Complex reported that after receiving pushback from folks on social media, the young woman received a DM from NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, who offered encouragement amid the social media chaos.
He told Cossie not to let them bother her, writing, “Don’t read the comments stuff like that will drive u crazy.” He added, “Have a great day tell all your boyfriends i said hello lol.”
Cossie replied, “HAHA, I will thank you!!” before responding, “you too!”
Shaq DM’d the Home Depot girl 😭 pic.twitter.com/jqda28GZIu
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 11, 2023
The New York Post reported the basketball legend said he reached out to uplift the young woman when media personality DJ Akademiks questioned whether Shaq was “tryna bag” her.
“Just uplifting people that’s what the diesel do baby i uplift people google me,” he responded on Instagram.
Aside from social media, Cossie said other situations have significantly impacted her life.
“I literally had to kind of quit my job in this process becase of how much I grew and how many people actually seen this,” Cossie shared. “People were illegally doxing my address and also figuring out where I worked.”
She continued: “I did have my school in my bio, also my location on Twitter and Home Depot. So if you put math together like people start figuring stuff out.”
Cossie said she is looking to relocate and “start fresh” and thanked God for allowing her to go through this because it “gave her a chance” to start over.
“I also gained a platform, and that means a lot to me because I work really hard making my faith, lifestyle, beauty and fashion content. So this kind of helps me go towards that direction,” she said. “But it’s also scary because I actually haven’t received like any type of brand deals or anything like that.”
However, Cossie remains optimistic and believes God will bless her despite what she’s gone through.
“God is going to make everything work out of my favor in the end,” she said. “And He’s going to bless me, you know, so much because I kept faith in Him.”
