The bishop who officiated Aretha Franklin’s funeral apologized Friday for how he grabbed Ariana Grande on the stage after her performance and for a joke he made about her name.
Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, who led the queen of soul’s funeral service, awkwardly greeted Grande after she performed Franklin’s hit“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Ellis held Grande well above her waist, with pictures showing his fingers pressed into the side of her chest.
via Scott Olson - Getty Images
The preacher apologized for his actions during an interview with The Associated Press on Friday at the cemetery where Franklin was laid to rest, The Huffington Postreports.
“It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast. ... I don’t know I guess I put my arm around her,” Ellis said. “Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.”
Ellis added that he hugged all of the performers during the eight-hour funeral service on Friday.
“I hug all the female artists and the male artists,” Ellis said. “Everybody that was up, I shook their hands and hugged them. That’s what we are all about in the church. We are all about love.”
“The last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to this day. This is all about Aretha Franklin,” Ellis added.
According to ABC News, fans took to Twitter, posting close-up pictures of the preacher grabbing Grande and tagging it #RespectAriana.
What was up with that pastors hand? pic.twitter.com/M8Ypgm7fQB
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) August 31, 2018
Ellis also apologized to Grande, her fans and the Hispanic community for making a joke about seeing Grande’s name on the service program and thinking it was a new menu item at Taco Bell.
“I personally and sincerely apologize to Ariana and to her fans and to the whole Hispanic community,” Ellis said. “When you’re doing a program for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there.”
According to HuffPost, Ellis’ actions overshadowed some criticism of Grande’s outfit for the funeral service, saying the pop singer’s black dress was too short for church.