Florida officials have moved swiftly and decisively after a viral social media video sparked national outrage, resulting in the permanent revocation of a nurse’s license over comments targeting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has revoked the nursing license of Lexie Lawler, a former labor and delivery nurse who publicly wished severe childbirth injuries on Leavitt in a TikTok video that circulated widely online. The decision was announced Wednesday by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who praised Ladapo for what he called a necessary and overdue action.
“Effective today, Lexie Lawler is no longer allowed to practice nursing in Florida,” Uthmeier wrote in a post on X. “Making statements that wish pain and suffering on anyone, when those statements are directly related to one’s practice, is an ethical red line we should not cross.”
Good!
BREAKING: The state of Florida just REVOKED Lexie’s nursing license for vile videos wishing childbirth injuries on Karoline Leavitt, following our reporting pic.twitter.com/LU2rC4KZVM— Alpha Liger ⬛ 🟨 (@AlphaLiger) January 28, 2026
The move comes just one day after Lawler was fired from her position at Baptist Health following the backlash. Uthmeier had already made clear that termination alone was insufficient given the seriousness of the remarks and the responsibilities entrusted to medical professionals.
“Being fired isn’t good enough,” Uthmeier said earlier this week. “Any healthcare worker who fails to uphold his or her obligation to provide adequate, safe healthcare should not be licensed in Florida. No excuses!”
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Uthmeier underscored the broader implications of the incident, particularly for women entering delivery rooms expecting competent and compassionate care.
“Women shouldn’t have to worry about a politically driven nurse who wishes them pain and suffering being in the delivery room during childbirth,” he said. “It’s evil. The Florida Board of Nursing must take action to keep this person away from patients permanently.”
The controversy began when Lawler posted a TikTok video that quickly went viral, amplified in part by Libs of TikTok. In the clip, Lawler, identifying herself as a labor and delivery nurse, expressed explicit and graphic wishes for Leavitt to suffer catastrophic injuries during childbirth.
“As a labor and delivery nurse, it gives me great joy to wish Karoline Leavitt a fourth degree tear,” Lawler said in the video. She went on to describe extreme and permanent physical harm using profanity-laced language.
🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: Florida just STRIPPED this deranged nurse of her license statewide after she wished this vile curse on Karoline Leavitt’s upcoming childbirth:
“I hope you fcking rip from bow to stern and never sht normally again, you c*nt.”
Florida said HELL NO. Not here. Not… pic.twitter.com/52fJPhluNE
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) January 29, 2026
A fourth-degree tear is the most severe type of obstetric injury, involving lacerations that extend through the perineal muscles into the rectal lining. These injuries require surgical repair, weeks of recovery, and can lead to long-term complications. Medical experts note that only 60 to 80 percent of women fully recover without ongoing issues.
The comments were widely condemned across social media, with critics arguing that the statements revealed a dangerous mindset incompatible with patient care, especially in a field centered on vulnerable mothers and newborns.
Shortly after the video gained traction, Baptist Health confirmed Lawler’s termination in a statement to Boca Raton CBS affiliate 12 News.
“The comments made in a social media video by a nurse at one of our facilities do not reflect our values or the standards we expect of health care professionals,” the statement read. “Following a prompt review, the individual is no longer employed by our health system.”
With the revocation of Lawler’s license, Florida officials have sent a clear message that political hostility, when paired with medical authority, will not be tolerated. The case has reignited debate over professional ethics, social media conduct, and the responsibilities that come with holding a license to care for others.
