United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby's viral ‘drag queen’ video sparks outrage

From Hindustan Times

Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines is facing severe backlash after a video of him dancing while dressed as a drag queen resurfaced on social media

Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, is facing severe backlash after a video of him dancing while dressed as a drag queen has resurfaced online. Recently, the 56-year-old was heavily criticised for a 2021 interview where he explained his company's diversity initiatives. After the years-old video went viral on social media, Kirby raised many eyebrows about the efficiency of workers at United Airlines and the safety of its flights.

The viral video was shared on X, formerly Twitter, via Libs of TikTok along with the message, “This is Scott Kirby, the CEO of @united. He’s a drag queen and has been incorporating drag into @united. This video should tell you everything you need to know.” Within just three hours, the video amassed 2.7 million views on the platform, sparking outrage among netizens.

This is Scott Kirby, the CEO of @united. He’s a drag queen and has been incorporating drag into @united.

This video should tell you everything you need to know. pic.twitter.com/RR5nWwC5OR

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 18, 2024

Just days earlier, Kirby's statements from his now-viral 2021 interview drew heavy criticism from netizens.

In the video, he asserted that his company was committed to ensuring that 50 percent of their hires should be women or people of colour.

“One of the things we do is for every job, when we do an interview, we require women and people of color to be involved in the interview process, bringing people in early in their careers as well and giving them those opportunities, uh, and creating a stronger bench,” Kirby said in the interview, per Fox News.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says they want “50%” of their hires to be “women or people of color.”

He doesn’t care whether or not they can effectively fly an airplane - all that matters is race and gender.

DEI is going to get people killed.
pic.twitter.com/8Pb0RFiwbR

— Michael Seifert (@realmichaelseif) January 15, 2024

Kirby's statement and his company's diversity policy were heavily criticised by many. In response to the video, billionaire Elon Musk wrote, “This is messed up.” Centre for Security Policy Senior Analyst J Michael Waller wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “He can always set a good example and resign immediately, leaving his high-paid position, salary, bonuses and stock options to someone more diverse.”

This is Scott Kirby, the CEO of @united. He likes to dress up in drag. United hired a drag queen to be their CEO and now United has turned their focus to incorporating drag into their business and sponsoring drag shows. https://t.co/Hhzd5o6SyN pic.twitter.com/9tqkjTfVvs

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 15, 2024

Kirby's statement and his company's diversity policy were heavily criticised by many. In response to the video, billionaire Elon Musk wrote, “This is messed up.” Centre for Security Policy Senior Analyst J Michael Waller wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “He can always set a good example and resign immediately, leaving his high-paid position, salary, bonuses and stock options to someone more diverse.”

Another user wrote, “Here’s Kirby LARPing as a CEO, assuring us that he’s going to DEI the heck out of United’s cockpits.” Yet another user said, “Is this satire? Your telling me this is the CEO of one of the largest airlines in the world? Jesus Christ help us.”