Summary
- Ariana Grande discussed her past fascination with serial killers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, on Penn Badgley's podcast Podcrushed.
- Grande's comments sparked controversy and backlash, with some social media users finding them "weird" and "offensive."
- Shirley Hughes, mother of Dahmer victim Tony Hughes, responded to Grande's comments, expressing hurt and stating that it's not "fancy or funny" to want to have dinner with Dahmer.
Singer Ariana Grande's recent comments about Jeffrey Dahmer initially sparked controversy — and now, the mother of one of Dahmer's victims has weighed in on it.
Ariana made the comments on a podcast, and what she said about Jeffrey Dahmer wasn't even the only backlash to stem from that appearance.
Although Grande's remarks have remained a topic of discussion, a response from a parent of one of the victims made it all a lot more serious.
Let's start at the beginning.
How Ariana Grande Spends Her $240 Million Net Worth
Ariana Grande, the mega star with a staggering $240 million net worth, knows exactly how to indulge in the luxuries life has to offer. Rising from Broadway to fame as Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon's Victorious, Grande's journey catapulted with the success of her debut album, "Yours Truly," propelling her into the A-list celebrity stratosphere
Ariana Went On Penn Badgley's 'Podcrushed'
Penn Badgley – who portrays a serial killer on the Netflix hit You – hosts a podcast called Podcrushed.
On June 10th, Podcrushed's Instagram featured several reels announcing an episode with Ariana Grande, a two-parter first airing on June 12th:
On the episode's page on Apple Podcasts, a description explained which topics were planned, including Grande's then-recent commentary on her time at Nickelodeon:
"In Part 1 of this two-part conversation with the extraordinarily prolific Ariana Grande, the crew has a wide-ranging conversation on childhood, her Broadway origins, and getting to act alongside her best friends.
"Ariana shares thoughtful reflections on her time at Nickelodeon and why therapy should be mandatory for all child actors."
The episode dropped, with part one clocking in at just over an hour. About half an hour into the first of two episodes, Badgley asked Grande about her decision to work with two actors who had played serial killers — himself, and Evan Peters.
Immediately, Grande said she "knew" someone was going to ask that specific question, and said that she "was infatuated with serial killers when [she] was younger."
After that, Grande shared an anecdote involving Dahmer in particular:
"Years ago, before the Dahmer series, I was in a [meet and greet] with fans ... young fans ... it was young fans at the time. I think it was in between me being [on Nickelodeon] and pop stuff, so it was a younger group. With a parent, someone said: ‘If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?'
"And I was like, 'Oh, you’re so cute. Mom and Dad, is it okay if I give the real answer?' and they were like, 'sure, I guess, what's the answer?' And I was like, 'um, I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer's pretty fascinating. I think I would have loved to have met him. Like, you know, maybe with a third party or someone involved, but I have questions.'
"And the parents were like, 'We'll explain it later, sweetheart.' And I was like,'I’ll just sing Problem and go home.'"
By Ariana's own account, she herself was young — the singer is 31 now, and Victorious aired around 2010, suggesting she was a teenager when she initially made the remarks.
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A Dahmer Victim's Mother Responded To Grande
After Ariana's remarks began gaining traction, the outcry was almost instant.
Social media users described Grande's comments as "weird" and "offensive," and at least one person mentioned the families of Dahmer's victims:
"Joking about wanting to have dinner with him is sick and horribly offensive to the victims’ families, who are still alive and affected by the tragedy fyi.
"Let’s stop glorifying these psychos and pretending they are intensely enamoring people - they’re not, and if you met them in real life you would quickly realize why."
On June 27th, TMZ published a response from Shirley Hughes, the mother of Dahmer victim Tony Hughes.
The outlet noted that Hughes "hopes Ariana understands how hurtful her comments are, noting the confession made her emotional," and quoted her as saying:
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.
Although Grande posted on Instagram the morning TMZ's story came out, she has yet to acknowledge the controversy over her remarks.
