Ariana Grande Criticized for Jeffrey Dahmer Dinner Guest Comment

Family members of the victims of Jeffrey Dahmer are calling out Ariana Grande over comments she made on a podcast earlier in June. During a recent episode of “Podcrushed,” the 30-year-old pop star shared that she once told a fan that Jeffrey Dahmer was her dream dinner date.

“I was infatuated with serial killers when I was younger,” Grande said. “It was in between me being Cat [in Nickelodeon’s ‘Sam & Cat’] and doing pop stuff, so it was like a younger group, and they were with parents. Someone asked, ‘If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?'”

“I was like, ‘Oh, you’re so cute. Mom and Dad, is it OK if I give the real answer?’ And they were like, ‘Sure, what’s the answer?’ And I was like, ‘I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty fascinating,'” she added. “I think I would have loved to have met him. Maybe with a third party or someone involved. But I have questions.”

While it was a funny story for a podcast, Grande admitted the parents weren’t exactly pleased. “The parents were like, ‘We’ll explain it later, sweetie.’ And I was like, ‘I’ll just sing “Problem” and go home,'” she said.

However, the remarks didn’t sit well with Shirley Hughes, the mother of Anthony “Tony” Hughes, one of Dahmer’s victims. She labeled Grande’s comments as “sick” and questioned why the singer would make such statements to children. “To me, it seems like she’s sick in her mind. 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,” Hughes told TMZ.

Her son was one of Dahmer’s 17 known victims, having been drugged and killed by Dahmer in his grotesque home on May 24, 1991. Tony Hughes was 31 at the time of his death and deaf, making him unable to speak.

Shirley Hughes and her daughter Barbara expressed the pain that even bringing up his name publicly causes their family. They also feel that Grande should publicly apologize. “Unfortunately, until it happens to her and her family, she just doesn’t know what we have been through,” Shirley Hughes said.

Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, many of whom were African American. His crimes were particularly heinous, involving necrophilia, cannibalism, and the permanent preservation of body parts—typically parts of the skeleton.

The capturing and conviction of Dahmer shocked the world and left a scar on many families, including the Hughes family. A pop culture reference or off-hand remark can bring that pain to the surface for those personally affected. It’s easy for those outside such experiences to underestimate the depth of trauma endured by the families of victims.

While Grande might have intended her comments to be light-hearted or humorous, they highlight the importance of sensitivity and awareness when discussing such deeply distressing topics. The public nature of her platform means her words carry significant weight, especially for the families who have suffered immeasurable loss.

The incident serves as a reminder that even in platforms intended for entertainment, the content shared can have a profound impact. The expectation is not perfection, but a mindful approach to sensitive subjects—recognizing the power of words and the responsibility that comes with a public voice.

Although Grande has not yet responded to the criticisms or issued a public apology, the outcry from the Hughes family amplifies the call for accountability and compassion in public discourse.

Source: PEOPLE, TMZ