A shocked mother-of-three was told by a council fraud officer her family should go on the Jeremy Kyle Show.
Bexley Council has apologised for the slur after Teri Williams complained about the “intimidating” visit last September.
The 22-year-old, who says she cares full time for her elderly grandmother Patricia, had recently moved into a council property in Erith when local authority officials paid her a visit and questioned her nine-month-old son’s birth certificate.
She said: “They turned up here and asked why my son’s dad’s name wasn’t on his birth certificate.
“And basically she turned round and said I’m just like a family on the Jeremy Kyle Show – I should go on it.
“I was shocked. She was intimidating. She looked down on me.” Ms Williams added: "It was a slur."
The popular daytime television show, aired on ITV, routinely sets up confrontations between guests as often troubled families try resolve issues such as adultery and drug addiction.
Presented by the broadcaster Jeremy Kyle, the programme was once criticised by a judge as “human bear-baiting”.
A spokeswoman for Bexley Council said: “This team perform a difficult job that includes ensuring that housing is allocated to those in genuine need and saving money that otherwise would have been given to claimants that should not receive it.
“The officer involved has apologised unreservedly to Ms Williams and fully recognises that their comment was not appropriate.”
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