An Ex-CFO Is Now On Food Stamps After Chick-Fil-A Rant Video Went Viral

We all love to hear rags to riches stories, but a former CFO is experiencing just the opposite. Adam Smith was once the CFO of medical manufacturer Vante, with a six figure salary and $1 million in stock options, but he was fired after a video of him ranting angrily at a Chick-fil-A drive-thru in 2012 went viral. Now, three years later, according to a recent interview with ABC's 20/20, Smith and his family are on food stamps, and he remains unemployable —companies rescind job offers once they find out who he is.

Smith posted the video of himself driving through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru to order a free cup of water. In the video, he starts ranting to the worker about the comments the Chick-fil-A CEO had made against same-sex marriage: "Chick-Fil-A is a hateful corporation. I don't know how you live with yourself and work here. I don't understand it. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values. You deserve better." Although Smith thought he was rallying for a cause, there's a time and a place — and a little thing called decorum. Apparently his company thought so too; after the video went viral, they fired him.

Now, Smith will be publishing a memoir about his professional ruination called A Million Dollar Cup of Water. When asked during the 20/20 interview if he regrets his actions, Smith said, "I don't regret the stand I took, but I regret... the way I talked to [the employee]."