A "tell it like it is" character who may or may not be real, Gladys Hardy became famous at the age of 88 thanks to daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and a potted plant. Hardy had contacted The Ellen DeGeneres Show to complain about a potted plant that was directly behind Ellen's head whenever she was seated. It made the host "look like Alfalfa," according to Hardy. DeGeneres called Hardy back at her Austin, TX, home and the two engaged in a conversation that would be posted to YouTube, turning Hardy into a Web star. The line that had Ellen falling out of her chair, I Love Jesus But I Drink a Little, became the title to Hardy's debut comedy album, which was released by Warner Bros. Nashville in early 2008. As Hardy's popularity rose, local newspaper The Austin American-Statesman began investigating whether or not Gladys was real. Unable to find any Gladys Hardy in Austin or the surrounding areas, the newspaper speculated that the KLBJ radio morning show might be behind it all, since Hardy had made it on the air there also. Further evidence that Gladys might be a prank was found on her official website. The site's multiple references to a family member named "Scott" pointed to Scott Hardy, who had done voice work on Larry the Cable Guy's Christmastime in Larryland album, another Warner Bros. Nashville release. ~ David Jeffries