Viral hurricane sensation “Lieutenant Dan” is facing backlash for allegedly spewing a racial slur during a livestream.
Joseph Malinowski, a one-legged sailor who rocketed to social media stardom for refusing to leave his boat in Tampa ahead of Hurricane Milton, fired off the racial epithet on the livestream platform Kick after claiming he may have been swindled by a TikTok user for social media clout and cash.
“If you want to get back into my good graces, you have to take time,” Malinowski mused Friday, adding, “‘Cause once I cut you off, you’re done n—a. I’m sorry.”
Malinowski, whose nickname stems from his resemblance to the one-legged Forrest Gump character, fell into the limelight after millions followed his saga via TikTok user Terrence Concannon’s videos, along with features in the Weather Channel and CNN, shortly before Hurricane Milton made its destructive landfall Wednesday with 120 mile-per-hour winds.
Concannon set up a GoFundMe to raise money for a new boat for Malinowski, although during the livestream, he said he has yet to receive any of the $46,000 donated, sparking the racist rant.
“Lieutenant Dan really went live on Kick and ripping the N-word,” one user wrote, using a crying emoji.
“Bro didn’t last one day,” another bemoaned.
The livestream bomb isn’t the first controversy Malinowski has faced in recent days.
He came in for criticism after his voluminous rap sheet surfaced, which included arrests for allegedly decking a cop and trying to set a woman on fire last year after covering her in gasoline.
He also has an open criminal case in Tampa over whether he even owns the 22-foot Catalina he hunkered down during the storm, which killed at least 17 and has left nearly 1.5 million without power as of Saturday afternoon.
“That Lieutenant Dan dude in Tampa is a prime example Of why Everybody you come across on social media with a ‘sad story’ does not need a GoFundMe,” one user wrote.
Concannon shared in a TikTok video on Friday that he had issues getting Malinowski the GoFundMe cash because the disgruntled sailor does not have any ID to access his bank account, but is working to help him obtain the money.