Father Christmas fat-shamed boy, 9, and left him in tears after saying he needed to ‘lay off the burgers and French fries’
Lad was 'destroyed' after Santa told him to 'lay off the burger and fries'
FATHER Christmas may look like he could use one less mince pie at Christmas but he’s now been accused of fat-shaming a nine-year-old.
Anthony Mayse was left in tears after a visit to Santa – who decided to give out diet advice with his presents.
He told the North Carolina lad to lay off the fast food during a weekend visit to the grotto in his local high street.
Anthony said: “When I was done he said ‘Just lay off the burgers and French fries’ and that really just disrespected me. I felt awful.
“I went out and I started crying because I just felt so bad.”
He told WLOS news: It affected me so bad that I was crying until I went to bed that night. And I would to say to him, like my mama said, you don’t wanna disrespect a nine-year-old, even though, what shape and size you are, it doesn’t matter.”
The Santa – who has not been named – was pictured with Anthony’s cousin Justin but Anthony tore up his own seasonal snap in disgust.
Anthony’s mother, Ashley Mayse, said she was horrified by the “Bad Santa” scenario.
“I was just mind-blown, I wished a million times that we never went.”
She said: “What set me off was when he started to crying.”
Santa apologized to Anthony after his family said they complained to the company but they have called for him to be given his marching orders from the holiday job.
“When he went to apologize to me, he didn’t even mean it,” Anthony said.
Ashley added: “He acted like he didn’t want to be there to do the job.
“I’m hoping he gets fired so no other kid ever feels like that. It destroyed him.”
She said the experience had put off her son – who asked for an iPod touch and a drone – from seeing Santa in the future.