Ariana Grande faced criticism from the mother of a Jeffrey Dahmer victim for expressing that the serial killer would be one of her ideal dinner guests, with the mother describing Grande's comment as disturbing.
In a recent episode of the Podcrushed podcast, Grande mentioned Dahmer during a conversation with hosts Penn Badgley, Sophie Ansari, and Nava Kavelin, expressing a desire to have a dinner conversation with him.
What were Ariana Grande’s comments about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer?
Grande mentioned that she had previously discussed Dahmer with a group of young fans during a Q&A session early in her career.
"I was infatuated with serial killers when I was younger," Grande expressed.
"It was in between me being Cat [on teen sitcom 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?'"
"I was like, 'Oh honey, you're so cute,'" she continued, explaining that she first asked the parents for permission to answer honestly. "They were like, 'Sure, what's the answer?' and I was like, 'I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty fascinating.'"
The chart-topping singer mentioned that she remains interested in questioning Dahmer, who was beaten to death in prison in 1994.
"I think I would have loved to have met him," she stated on the podcast. "You know, maybe with a third party or someone involved. But I have questions."
What did Shirley Hughes, mom of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victim Tony Hughes say about Ariana Grande’s comments?
Shirley Hughes, the mother of Tony Hughes—a deaf, non-verbal man murdered by Dahmer in 1991—condemned Grande's comments.
Hughes told TMZ that Grande's remarks made her seem "she's sick in her mind."
She criticized Grande, saying, "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."
Tony Hughes' sister, Barbara Hughes-Holt, also criticized Grande's comments, accusing her of glamorizing Dahmer. She expressed a wish for Grande to apologize, hoping it would help her fans understand the seriousness of the issue.
Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?
Dahmer became notorious for murdering 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, involving torture, dismemberment, sexual assault, and cannibalism.
Dahmer's victims were predominantly people of color, and he was infamous for storing their body parts in his refrigerator, disposing of remains in toilets, and keeping bodies in large vats in his apartment. He also photographed many of his victims during his assaults.
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