Shaq Shares Encouraging Advice to Viral 'Home Depot Girl': ‘Have a Great Day Tell All Your Boyfriends I Said Hello'

After saying she was told she's "too pretty" to work at Home Depot, Ariana Cossie sent the Internet into a frenzy and caught the attention of Shaq.

June 12, 2023

Image of Shaquille O'Neal. — Arturo Holmes / Getty Images

Shaquille O’Neal had some encouraging words for the “Home Depot Girl” who went viral late last week.

The woman, Ariana Cossie, posted a photo of her wearing the orange Home Depot apron alongside the caption, “The one job I work at that I get reminded I’m too pretty to work at.” The tweet quickly made the rounds online. Some people were surprised that she works at the home improvement store and applauded her for choosing this kind of job over other popular choices, like OnlyFans.

However, she started catching flack for her original caption plus additional remarks she made, which had people wondering if she was shading sex workers.

While she did later write, “I don’t think I am too pretty to work anywhere,” she shared other tweets like, “My daddy always told me ALL money ain’t GOOD money,” and “ILL NEVER MAKE AN ONLYFANS!!!!”

Shaq slid into Cossie's DMs and shared some inspiring sentiments with her: “don’t let them people [sic] bother you,” he wrote. “Don’t read the comments stuff like that will drive u crazy.” The basketball legend also turned the charm on, telling her, “Have a great day tell all your boyfriends i said hello lol.”

“When Shaq text you know you doing something right okay!” she commented when sharing the screenshot to her Instagram Story.

The New York Post reached out to Shaq to ask him about his messages to Cossie. “Just uplifting people, that’s what the diesel do, baby, I uplift people. Google me,” he said.

In other tweets, Cossie clarified that her job at Home Depot was a college job, and she mixed paints.

She also addressed the controversy in a video on her YouTube channel, saying, “I have no problem with women who do sex work … I never want another woman to feel like I am belittling them.” Despite saying she would not make an OnlyFans, Cossie has been bombarded with tweets asking her to change her mind.

As a result of the tweet's popularity, Cossie's information got leaked to the Internet, including the Home Depot location she worked at. She has since posted that she will be returning to her job as a server in light of the doxxing.

Luckily, she seems to have quickly picked up on the Internet's sleuthing capabilities, reassuring people that she does not work at the restaurant seen on her uniform.