Taylor Swift is the 'Queen of Mean' claims talk show host Wendy Williams

Wendy Williams has provoked fresh controversy after branding America's sweetheart Taylor Swift 'the Queen of Mean'. The chat show host made the remark during the 'hot topics' segment while discussing the 25-year-old singer's rise to the top of Instagram – a feat she managed without having to resort to posting sexy pictures.

Although she initially appeared to be piling on the praise, Williams soon did a 180 and accused Calvin Harris's girl of being one of the industry's biggest phonies, insisting that the Bad Blood hitmaker has an underlying dark streak. "People like Taylor, and I think the reason is a hidden secret of mean," she told the audience. "I think she is probably meaner than Beyoncé and Kim put together. In my mind, Taylor Swift is the queen of the mean. She's sneaky and smart about doing it which makes her smarter than the other two."

The 50-year-old TV personality went on to claim that Swift had her "girl army" wrapped around her little finger thanks to her butter-wouldn't-melt mannerisms. "From Cara to Kendall, those girls they all hang out. Taylor bakes and cooks, we've never seen Kim or Beyoncé bake and cook," she continued.

And while she acknowledged the Grammy award-winner's strong popularity, she suggested that it was down to the many sneaky tactics the cat-lover uses to mask her true identity. "Here's the thing, she's trying to trick us into thinking she's a good woman because she bakes and cooks. And it's actually working right now on Instagram. For Kim and Beyoncé, if you weren't so obvious about your thing and a little more covert, you two will be back on top of Instagram but for now, it's all about Taylor Swift."

Williams's comments did not go down well with some fans who practically accused her of bullying and claimed that she was simply envious of Swift's success.

Earlier in October, Swift become the first person to reach 50 million followers on Instagram. She celebrated the milestone by thanking her fans for their continued support. "50 million followers!! Thanks so much guys. I'm pretty sure this is just because I have cute cats though," her celebratory post read.