Ariana Grande has sparked controversy with comments about Jeffrey Dahmer, calling him her “dream dinner date,” which has led to backlash from the victims’ families. Shirley Hughes, the mother of Dahmer victim Anthony “Tony” Hughes, criticized Grande, describing her as “sick in her mind.”
Shirley expressed her concerns, highlighting the inappropriate nature of Ariana Grande’s remark, especially to young fans. “It’s not fancy or funny to say you would have wanted dinner with him. It’s also not something you should say to young people, which she says she did,” Shirley told TMZ on Thursday.
Tony Hughes, deaf and non-verbal, tragically fell victim to Dahmer in 1991 at age 31 after encountering him at a gay bar. Shirley, supported by Tony’s sister Barbara, condemned Grande’s insensitivity. Barbara stressed the pain such comments inflict on survivors and urged Grande to apologize to set a responsible example for her followers.
“Unfortunately, until it happens to her and her family, she just doesn’t know what we have been through,” Barbara added.
The uproar ensued following Grande’s appearance on Penn Badgley’s “Podcrushed” podcast, where she discussed her youthful “infatuation with serial killers.” She recalled a Q&A with young fans where she mentioned Dahmer as an ideal dinner guest. “I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty fascinating. I think I would have loved to have met him. Y’know, maybe with a third party or someone involved. But I have questions,” Ariana Grande recalled.
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Grande’s comments, deemed highly inappropriate by many, emerged amid her reflections on her past roles on Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” and “Sam & Cat” during the same podcast episode. She discussed reprocessing her memories and the questionable humour on her shows, particularly after the revealing “Quiet on Set” documentary. “I think that was something that we were convinced was the cool thing about us—that we pushed the envelope with our humour,” Grande said, reflecting on past content decisions.
