Santa in 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' Blasted as 'A—hole' and 'Ableist' by CBS Viewers

Santa Claus may be beloved across the globe as the jolly fellow who brings gifts Christmas Eve night, but some are expressing different feelings for Kris Kringle after tuning into CBS' broadcast of the perennial Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. As the 1964 stop motion animated special, which is based on the book by Adam Reed, aired Tuesday night as part of CBS' holiday programming, many viewers took to Twitter to label Santa as an "a-hole" and "ableist."

Created by Robert L. May, the special is set in the North Pole and centers around Rudolph, the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer. With his red nose, Rudolph is an outcast, bullied by his fellow reindeer, until he saves Christmas by using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh. His help in saving Christmas resulted in his reindeer colleagues shouting out with glee and Rudolph going down in history.

While Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been a holiday classic and staple annual viewing, many viewers tuning in Tuesday night couldn't help but feel some hard feelings against Santa himself. Many couldn't help but air their grievances over the fact that Santa seemed to partake in Rudolph's bullying until the very minute he needed his help, leading the character to earn some unfortunate nicknames online.