Current:Home > ContactAriana Grande calling Jeffrey Dahmer dream dinner guest slammed by victim's mom -RiskWatch
Ariana Grande calling Jeffrey Dahmer dream dinner guest slammed by victim's mom
View
Date:2025-04-18 17:09:03
Ariana Grande controversial Jeffrey Dahmer comments are sparking backlash from one of his victim's families.
After Grande appeared on Penn Badgley's "Podcrushed" podcast and told the "Gossip Girl" alum and his co-host that the serial killer and sex offender was her dream dinner guest, victim Anthony "Tony" Hughes' mom Shirley Hughes spoke to TMZ about the controversial comments.
"To me, it seems like she's sick in her mind. It's not fancy or funny to say you would have wanted to do dinner with him. It's also not something you should say to young people, which she says she did," Shirley Hughes told TMZ.
Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 people.These are the victims and what we knew about them
Hughes told TMZ she hoped that Grande understands how hurtful her words were, adding that the pop star's podcast admission made her emotional.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Hughes, who was 31 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen May 24, 1991. He was also deaf, a condition brought on after a battle with pneumonia as an infant. Most of Dahmer's victims were men or boys of color and the youngest of his reported victims were just 14 at the time of their disappearances.
On "Podcrushed," Grande described how she talked about her Dahmer fascination to a group of children.
"It was in between me being Cat (on Nickelodeon comedy 'Sam & Cat') and pop stuff, so it was like a younger group, and they were with parents, and someone said, 'If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?'" Grande recalled.
She continued: "I was like, 'Oh honey, you're so cute' ... They were like, 'Sure, what's the answer?' and I was like, 'I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty fascinating.'
"The parents were like, 'we'll explain it later, sweetheart,' and I was like, 'I'll just sing 'Problem' and go home,'" the "We Can't Be Friends" singer said, referring to her 2014 pop hit with rapper Iggy Azalea.
Ariana Grande previously made controversial 'I hate Americans' comments
In 2015, Grande made headlines in a video caught by a California donut shop's security camera.
TMZ reported that Grande licked a tray of donuts alongside ex-boyfriend, backup dancer Ricky Alvarez, and kissed on camera. Then, after an employee brought out a tray of fresh donuts, Grande said: "What the (expletive) is that? I hate Americans. I hate America."
"I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American and I've always made it clear that I love my country," said Grande in a statement sent to USA TODAY at the time. "What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the donuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words."
Contributing: Andrea Mandell
veryGood! (5665)
Related
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Meet the Russian professor who became mayor of a Colombian city
- Nantz, Childress, Ralph and Steve Smith named to 2024 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame class
- Congo’s presidential vote is extended as delays and smudged ballots lead to fears about credibility
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Hiker rescued from bottom of avalanche after 1,200-foot fall in Olympic National Forest
- There's an effective morning-after pill for STIs but it's not clear it works in women
- Demi Lovato’s Ex Max Ehrich Sets the Record Straight on Fake Posts After Her Engagement to Jutes
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- The Denver Zoo didn't know who the father of a baby orangutan was. They called in Maury Povich to deliver the paternity test results
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Turkey says its warplanes have hit suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq
- Texas police officer indicted in fatal shooting of man on his front porch
- Chris Christie outlines his national drug crisis plan, focusing on treatment and stigma reduction
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Would 'Ferrari' stars Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz want a Ferrari? You'd be surprised.
- Minnesota program to provide free school meals for all kids is costing the state more than expected
- Chemical leak at Tennessee cheese factory La Quesera Mexicana sends 29 workers to the hospital
Recommendation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
Chemical leaks at cheese factory send dozens of people to the hospital
2023 was a tragic and bizarre year of wildfires. Will it mark a turning point?
Newly released video shows how police moved through UNLV campus in response to reports of shooting
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
Custom made by Tulane students, mobility chairs help special needs toddlers get moving
Taylor Swift baked Travis Kelce 'awesome' pregame cinnamon rolls, former NFL QB says
Read the Colorado Supreme Court's opinions in the Trump disqualification case