Man With Mental Illness Posts Tearful Video After Einstein Bagels Fired Him For ‘Not Being A Fast...

A video posted on the viral Reddit forum “Antiwork” is breaking many thousands of hearts after it was posted by a man with dyslexia, ADHD, and schizoaffective disorder who had just been fired from Einstein Bros. Bagels for allegedly “not being a fast learner.” The video originated on the man’s TikTok account, where Josh Knudson goes by “schizodad,” indicating that he also has a child to care for. In the footage, he cries as he tells his viewers why he was fired and expresses that he has disorders that make certain things harder for him through no fault of his own.

“I just got fired from Einstein Bagels because I’m not a fast enough learner,” he says to the camera. “I’m 43 years old, I’m dyslexic, I’m ADHD, and I have schizoaffective disorder, and I just wanna work, and I can’t even make a bagel.”

Although companies that are large enough, such as the widespread chain known as Einstein Bros. Bagels, are supposed to be barred from firing disabled workers and instead provide accommodations for their conditions, firings like this remain common for people with disorders of the brain and mind. In the U.S., the Americans with Disabilities Acts should protect workers like Knudson for being fired for essentially being sick and/or different, but it’s difficult to prove in court that a firing was explicitly over a mental illness or disability.