Boy, 9, says Santa Claus fat shamed him, said to 'lay off the burgers and fries'

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. — A Rutherford County woman said her son left his visit to Santa Claus in tears because the man made fun of his weight.

Ashley Mayse said she wished she'd never brought Anthony, 9, to talk to the Santa employed by Forest City, Channel 9's partner,

, reported.

>> Read more trending stories

Anthony posed for a picture with Santa and shared his Christmas list, but the man's final comments caused Anthony to later tear up the picture with the not-so-jolly character.

"And when it got done, he said, ‘Lay off the hamburgers and french fries’ and that really just disrespected me, and I felt awful," Anthony said.

Ashley Mayse said the man acted disinterested throughout the entire visit.

"Very rude. I've never seen anything like it," Ashley Mayse told WLOS. "What set me off is when he [Anthony] started crying."

The town manager said the man has since apologized to the mall supervisor and the family. It's not clear if he is still on the job.

"It affected me so bad that I was crying until I went to bed that night," Anthony said. "And I want to say to him, 'You don't want to disrespect a 9-year-old. Even though what shape and size you are, it doesn't matter.'"

Ashley Mayse said she hopes the town fires the Santa, so no other children will be hurt like her son.

Cox Media Group