Alexis Lawler #

Introduction #

Alexis “Lexie” Lawler is a Florida registered nurse and former labor and delivery nurse at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca Raton who was fired in January 2026 after a social media video in which she wished childbirth injuries on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went viral. The video was first highlighted by the account Libs of TikTok and drew widespread condemnation, and the consequences escalated quickly: the hospital terminated her employment, Florida’s surgeon general issued an emergency suspension of her nursing license, and the state attorney general publicly announced she was no longer allowed to practice. Lawler declined to comment to Fox News Digital and had not commented on the suspension order in the outlets’ reporting.

Background Information #

Lawler worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Her full name, Alexis Backer Lawler, R.N., appears in the emergency suspension order signed by Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo that was obtained by Fox News Digital. The target of her video, Karoline Leavitt, had announced in December 2025 that she was pregnant with her second child, according to Just the News. The photo attached to early coverage of the story is a composite: Florida’s Voice captioned its image as showing Leavitt on the left and Lawler on the right, crediting one half to Leavitt’s Instagram and the other to a screenshot published by Libs of TikTok on X.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

The incident began when a video of Lawler discussing Leavitt’s pregnancy circulated on social media. Florida’s Voice reported that she had posted “graphic social media comments wishing medical complications” for Leavitt, and that in the video she “used profanity to describe the physical injuries she hoped Leavitt would suffer during delivery,” specifically wishing for a “severe fourth-degree tear” and subsequent permanent medical issues. As quoted by Fox News Digital, Lawler said in the video, “As a labor and delivery nurse, it gives me great joy to wish Karoline Leavitt a fourth degree tear,” adding, “I hope you f—— rip from bow to stern and never s— normally again, you c—,” with the expletives censored by the outlet.

The posts were first highlighted by the social media account Libs of TikTok, after which they drew widespread condemnation. Rather than backing down, Lawler doubled down on her remarks, according to Fox News Digital, saying in a later video, “So they just murdered a man in Minnesota, they murdered a man in Minnesota, and you motherf—— are coming after me ‘cause I used bad language? F— you. I’m on the right side of this. F— you.” The characterizations of the remarks as graphic and profane come from the outlets that reviewed the video; the quotes above are as they were reported by Fox News Digital, and Lawler’s side of the dispute is limited by her declining comment to that outlet.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The reaction was immediate. After Libs of TikTok amplified the video, Baptist Health moved quickly: hospital spokesperson Ryan Lieber confirmed to Libs of TikTok that Lawler was no longer with the organization, and the hospital subsequently confirmed to Florida’s Voice that she was no longer employed there. In a statement provided by Baptist Health South Florida to Libs of TikTok, the health system said, “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 healthcare professionals,” adding, “Following a prompt review, the individual is no longer employed by our health system.” The hospital further noted that while it respects personal opinions, “there is no place in healthcare for language or behavior that calls into question a caregiver’s ability to provide compassionate, unbiased care.”

Political officials then joined in. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier called on the Florida Board of Nursing to revoke Lawler’s license, telling Fox News Digital, “Women shouldn’t have to worry about a politically-driven nurse who wishes them pain and suffering being in the delivery room during childbirth.” Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital also repeated to Fox News Digital that Lawler’s comments “do not reflect our values or the standards we expect of healthcare professionals.”

Current Status #

Lawler’s firing stands, and her ability to practice nursing in Florida has been suspended by the state. On January 28, 2026, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced that he was immediately suspending the license of the registered nurse who wished a permanent childbirth injury on Leavitt. The emergency suspension order, obtained by Fox News Digital, reads, “Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD, State Surgeon General, ORDERS the emergency suspension of the license of Alexis Backer Lawler, R.N., (‘Lawler’) to practice as a registered nurse in the State of Florida.” Uthmeier praised the move in a post on X, saying, “Effective today, Lexie Lawler is no longer allowed to practice nursing in Florida,” and, “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.” Just the News reported that Lawler had not commented on the order, and she had declined to comment to Fox News Digital.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The professional impact was swift and severe. Lawler went from practicing nurse to former nurse within roughly a week: Baptist Health confirmed on January 23, 2026 that she was no longer employed, and five days later the state’s emergency suspension barred her from working as a registered nurse anywhere in Florida. Her name became attached nationally to a story about a nurse wishing harm on a pregnant press secretary, with coverage in national outlets and the endorsement of her removal from practice coming from the top of Florida’s health and legal establishment. No criminal charges connected to the video have been reported; the recorded consequences are the loss of her hospital job and the suspension of her Florida nursing license, and the reported record of her response is limited to the doubling-down video quoted by Fox News Digital and her refusal to comment.