Aretha Franklin was laid to rest the other day, after passing away from cancer at the age of 76 nearly two weeks earlier.
Franklin’s funeral, or “home going” as it was referred to, made the news for many reasons. First, it clocked in at over five hours in length. It was a star-studded affair, with performances and appearances by musicians, actors and politicians. But perhaps the part that was the most buzz-worthy was Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, who officiated the funeral.
After a performance by Ariana Grande of Franklin’s hit, (You Make Me Fee Like) A Natural Woman, Ellis welcomed Grande on stage, remarking that when he first saw the lineup, he thought that “Ariana Grande” was a new item on the Taco Bell menu. Awkward! Then, throughout the whole time that Grande was on stage, Ellis had his arm around her. His arm started down around her waist, but after a while, it had migrated a bit north and appeared to come to rest on the side of her right breast.
Bishop Ellis has since apologized for both of these awkward instances in two separate statements.
“I personally and sincerely apologize to Ariana and to her fans and to the whole Hispanic community. When you’re doing a program for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there,” Ellis said.
And for the alleged grope, Ellis said, “It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast. … I don’t know I guess I put my arm around her. Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.”
You can check out both examples of the awkwardness in the clip below.
I don’t care what you think about Ariana Grande, her music or her dress. This is wrong. That bishop’s hand should not be on her breast: I just saw this because I’ve been working and not watching pic.twitter.com/ixVhgYBJTN
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) September 1, 2018
