Current:Home > FinanceAriana Grande calling Jeffrey Dahmer dream dinner guest slammed by victim's mom -WealthFlow Academy
Ariana Grande calling Jeffrey Dahmer dream dinner guest slammed by victim's mom
View
Date:2025-04-12 21:39:52
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! (69)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Standing Rock Asks Court to Shut Down Dakota Access Pipeline as Company Plans to Double Capacity
- Huge Western Fires in 1910 Changed US Wildfire Policy. Will Today’s Conflagrations Do the Same?
- Why Tom Brady Says It’s Challenging For His Kids to Play Sports
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Changing Patterns of Ocean Salt Levels Give Scientists Clues to Extreme Weather on Land
- Experts Divided Over Safety of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant
- UPS strike imminent if pay agreement not reached by Friday, Teamsters warn
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Could Climate Change Spark a Financial Crisis? Candidates Warn Fed It’s a Risk
Ranking
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Read the full text of the dissents in the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling by Sotomayor and Jackson
- Oil Giants See a Future in Offshore Wind Power. Their Suppliers Are Investing, Too.
- Carbon capture technology: The future of clean energy or a costly and misguided distraction?
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Country singer Kelsea Ballerini hit in the face with bracelet while performing
- Biden Climate Plan Looks For Buy-in From Farmers Who Are Often Skeptical About Global Warming
- See pictures and videos of the Canadian wildfires and their impact across the planet
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
In Remote Town in Mali, Africa’s Climate Change Future is Now
Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning actor and Little Miss Sunshine star, dies at 89
24-Hour Solar Energy: Molten Salt Makes It Possible, and Prices Are Falling Fast
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
To See Offshore Wind Energy’s Future, Look on Shore – in Massachusetts
Kaley Cuoco Reveals Her Daughter Matilda Is Already Obsessed With the Jonas Brothers
Standing Rock Asks Court to Shut Down Dakota Access Pipeline as Company Plans to Double Capacity