Taylor Swift has spent more than two decades in the spotlight, with much of her personal life becoming part of her music and public image. However, an alleged claim from a former personal assistant has offered a different view of how the singer treats the people around her.

The former assistant, who spoke anonymously to Star Magazine in 2014 (via Celebitchy), claimed that Swift considered physical appearance when choosing new employees. According to the former employee, the singer liked having models and other attractive people around her and wanted them to be part of her public image.

“She surrounds herself with models and always makes sure that they’re in the background, like beautiful wallpaper or something,” the former employee shared. According to them, Swift’s desire to be around beautiful people allegedly stems from her ego, which “is so huge that [she] really believes she’s above average-looking people.”

However, such claims are not supported by everyone who has worked with Swift. Heather Wirth, who worked with the singer during her 1989 Tour in 2015, later described her differently in the docuseries Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood.

“Taylor is very down to earth. There is no fakeness to her, everything is very genuine, very real,” Wirth said, adding that although the multiple Grammy winner writes and sings about her own life, “it takes a while for Taylor to let her guard down” with people in real life.

Swift’s treatment of her tour staff has also received attention, especially after the end of her Eras Tour. The singer reportedly gave a total of $197 million in bonuses to people who worked on the tour.The bonuses were not limited to senior staff. Dancers, truck drivers, caterers, and other members of the touring team were also included. Swift reportedly added personal notes to the letters that came with the payments. Some workers received as much as $100,000, according to TMZ.

Mike Scherkenbach, who managed the tour’s transportation crew, later spoke about the bonuses to Rolling Stone, saying, “That generosity is a game changer for these people.”

Swift also discussed why she wanted to reward the people who worked on the massive tour. In the End of an Era docuseries, she explained that the crew had put in a great deal of work throughout the tour.

“These people work so hard, and they are the best at what they do,” she said.

The former assistant’s allegations, therefore, give her fans and critics one account of Swift’s workplace relationships, while comments from other former employees and reports about her tour bonuses offer different accounts.