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Ariana Grande is facing backlash from the families of Jeffrey Dahmer‘s victims. The controversy arose after the 31-year-old “7 rings” singer appeared on the “Popcrushed” podcast earlier this month, where she recalled telling a young fan at a Q&A event who would be her dream dinner date.
“I was like, ‘Oh, you’re so cute. Mom and Dad, is it OK if I give the real answer?’” Ariana recalled asking the child’s parents. “And they were like, ‘Sure, what’s the answer?’ and I was like, ‘I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty fascinating. I think I would have loved to have met him. You know, maybe with a third party or someone involved. But I have questions.’”
Noting that she was “infatuated” by “serial killers” when she was younger, the “Yes, And?” hitmaker also remembered how the fan’s parents reacted to her candid response.
“The parents were like, ‘We’ll explain it later, sweetie,’” Ari said. “And I was like, ‘I’ll just sing ‘Problem’ and go home.”
Ariana Grande reveals Jeffrey Dahmer was her serial killer “dream dinner date” 👀pic.twitter.com/qa3Dyj6Hu9
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 27, 2024
Shirley Hughes reacted to Ariana’s comments during a recent interview with TMZ published on Thursday, June 27. Shirley is the mother of Tony Hughes, whom Jeffrey killed in 1991.
“To me, it seems like she’s sick in her mind,” Shirley told the outlet, referring to Ariana. “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.”
According to the outlet, Shirley wants Ariana and the public to know how painful it is for her and the other victims’ families to hear Jeffrey’s name. She also said it was disturbing that the Nickelodeon alum didn’t express any empathy toward the victims and their families during her podcast interview.
Additionally, Tony’s sister Barbara Hughes told the outlet that she felt Ariana’s comments glamorized Jeffrey, and she wants the “Break Free” singer to apologize.
Jeffrey notoriously murdered 17 men and children between 1978 and 1991 and subjected many to cruel torture, such as cannibalism and dismemberment. In 1992, he was sentenced to life behind bars and was beaten to death in prison by inmates in 1994.
Public fascination about the serial killer grew as his story was adapted into various mediums of popular culture. Multiple films and TV shows were created about Jeffrey, with the most recent production being Ryan Murphy‘s 2022 Netflix series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The families of Jeffrey’s victims called Ryan out for the controversial show. In response, the filmmaker claimed he had reached out to the families for their input but never heard back from anyone.
