A 62-year-old Boots pharmacy worker says she was suspended and handed a final written warning after singing the viral 'Chicken Banana' song at work.
Maria Clarke, who has reportedly worked at the Boots branch in Wyke, Dorset, for 46 years, said she was called into a meeting with management after a complaint was made about the use of the word 'banana' in the shop.
Clarke said she was shocked when she was told the viral children's song had been considered racist. She claimed she had never intended the song or the word to carry any racial meaning and was left struggling to understand why her actions had resulted in disciplinary proceedings.
'I thought it was a joke when outside management turned up and told me a children's meme was racist. I was gobsmacked when they weren't joking,' she said.
According to Clarke, the incident occurred while staff were working during a quiet period. She said colleagues had been singing the song for fun and later incorporated the word 'banana' into their workplace routine when dealing with prescriptions.
She said the investigation left her feeling embarrassed and as though she had been treated like a criminal.
'It's a Children's Song That Really Gets in Your Head'
Clarke said she had never intended any racial meaning by singing the song.
'It's a children's song that really gets in your head,' she said.
'I didn't think anything of it at all, we just all got the giggles singing it while it was quiet at work.'
She said staff would subsequently use the word jokingly when completing prescriptions.
'We would then say "banana this" to sign off prescriptions and the pharmacist would say "banana done" when she'd done them.'
Clarke noted the situation had since changed how she viewed the song.
'That song is giving me nightmares now,' she said.
The reported disciplinary action came after a complaint, with Clarke saying Boots issued her with a final written warning for 'inappropriate behaviour and discrimination'.
What Is the 'Chicken Banana' Song?
'Chicken Banana' is a novelty dance track released in February 2025 by Swedish production group Crazy Music Channel. It became a major social media trend, with its repetitive combination of the words 'chicken' and 'banana' helping it spread across TikTok and other platforms.
Sony Music reported in May 2025 that the trend had generated 10 billion views across major platforms, including 2 billion views on TikTok and 6.5 billion on YouTube Shorts.
The song later became particularly popular among children, with reports noting that the phrase had spread into schools and playgrounds.
Boots has not publicly disclosed the evidence considered during Clarke's disciplinary investigation.
A Boots spokesman said: 'While we are unable to comment on individual employment cases, we have clear standards of behaviour for colleagues and do not tolerate harassment, bullying or discriminatory language in our workplaces.
'We take any alleged incidents extremely seriously. Concerns are reviewed by colleagues independent of those directly involved and the appropriate processes are followed to ensure colleagues are given a fair hearing.'
The case remains a dispute over how the workplace incident and the song were interpreted.
