Pop sensation Ariana Grande has found herself in hot water following a recent podcast appearance where she disclosed that her “dream dinner guest” would be none other than convicted serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer.
During an episode of Penn Badgley’s podcast, Podcrushed, Grande recounted a past fan Q&A session where she was asked about her ideal dinner companion. After seeking permission from the young fan’s parents to give an honest answer, Grande revealed her surprising choice: Jeffrey Dahmer. She expressed curiosity about the notorious killer, who murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.
The singer’s comments, made years before the release of the controversial Netflix series “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” sparked a wave of backlash on social media. Many fans expressed disappointment and outrage, accusing Grande of being insensitive to the victims’ families and glorifying a violent criminal.
One user commented on the YouTube video of the podcast, stating, “That was heartbreaking to watch, can you imagine your loved ones being murdered in such horrific ways and then the killer is glorified in the media? I wish people would consider how shows like Dahmer impact the surviving family members.”
Another user criticized Grande, saying, “She thinks she’s being edgy but she is just a tone-deaf person who doesn’t care about other people’s pain.”
The controversy highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the portrayal of serial killers in popular culture, with many arguing that it can lead to desensitization and romanticization of violence.
Ariana Grande is facing backlash after revealing on the Podcrushed podcast that her ‘dream’ dinner guest would be notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Grande’s comments, made during a Q&A session with young fans, have been labeled as ‘sick’ and ‘tone-deaf’ by the family of Tony Hughes, one of Dahmer’s victims. Shirley Hughes, Tony’s mother, expressed how disturbed she was by Grande’s remarks and urged her to apologize publicly. The controversy has sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many fans and commentators finding her fascination with Dahmer and her comments highly offensive and insensitive to the victims’ families.
The victims’ family members of Jeffrey Dahmer, including Tony Hughes’ mother Shirley Hughes and sister Barbara, are calling for Ariana Grande to publicly apologize for her comments about Dahmer. Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims were mainly people of color, and he was known for storing their body parts in his fridge, disposing of them by flushing their body parts down the toilet, and even storing their bodies in huge vats in his apartment. Ariana Grande’s comments have sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many fans and commentators finding her fascination with Dahmer and her comments highly offensive and insensitive to the victims’ families.
Ariana Grande faces backlash over Jeffrey Dahmer comment. Ariana Grande has recently faced online criticism after she confessed that her “dream” dinner guest was serial killer Jeffery Dahmer. Last week, Ariana appeared on the latest episode of Penn Badgley podcast Podcrushed where she opened up about the moment, she told a “young fan” she fantasized about dining Jeffrey, who was the murderer – raped and killed 17 boys and men between 1978 and 1991.
The songstress admission came after she told the Gossip Girl star about her being infatuated with serial killers from a young age. “Years ago, before the Dahmer series, I was in a Q&A with young fans. With a parent, someone said, ‘If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?” And I was like, ‘Oh, honey, you’re so cute. Um, mom and dad, is it okay if I give the real answer?’ And they were like, ‘Sure, what’s the answer?’
The singer recalled, “And I was like, Jeffrey Dahmer’s pretty fascinating. I think I would have loved to have met him, maybe with like a third party or something. But I have questions.’ And the parents were like, ‘We’ll explain it later, sweetheart.’” Ariana’s fans took to the comment section in the second part of the podcast posted on YouTube. One user wrote, “That was heartbreaking to watch, can you imagine your loved ones being murdered in such horrific ways and then the killer is glorified in the media. I wish people would consider how shows like Dahmer impact the surviving family members.”
“She thinks she’s being edgy but she is just a tone-deaf person who doesn’t care about other people’s pain,” said another user. A third user added, “This is so vile… I have a great interest in crime cases but the LAST thing I’d want to do is have dinner with a serial killer.”
The family of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims recently condemned singer Ariana Grande for showing an interest in meeting the infamous serial killer. During an appearance on the podcast Podcrushed, hosted by Gossip Girl alum Penn Badgley, the pop star revealed that early in her career she told a group of young fans that Dahmer—who brutally murdered and dismembered 17 men over 13 years—was her ideal dinner guest.
This revelation deeply upset the loved ones of Tony Hughes, a deaf, non-verbal victim whom Dahmer killed in 1991. Hughes’ mother, Shirley, shared her distress with TMZ, explaining that Grande’s comments were hurtful and made her emotional. Shirley found it especially disturbing that the singer laughed during the podcast about her fascination with Dahmer. The mother of the victim wants the singer and the general public to understand the very real pain that families of Dahmer’s victims endure whenever his name is brought up: “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.”
Hughes’ sister, Barbara, echoed similar sentiments, expressing her concern that Grande’s comments glamorize Dahmer. Barbara emphasized that such remarks are insensitive to the victims’ families, who continue to grapple with the horrors inflicted by the serial killer and shared that she believes the Wicked star should apologize to set the record straight for her fans, underscoring that it’s not right to idolize or trivialize a man who committed such heinous acts.
Grande has not been the only one to face backlash for her comments about Jeffrey Dahmer. In fact, Ryan Murphy, the creator of the Netflix series Dahmer–Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, also encountered significant criticism. One user stated on X: “The fact that “Dahmer” on Netflix was created by Ryan Murphy—a white gay man with a history of engaging in exploitative and fetishizing representations of queer people of color—should tell you everything you need to know.”
Another netizen added: “I get a bit of an ick when I think too much about how many of these horror shows Ryan Murphy has done, even his “fictional” ones are very rooted in real life and taken from very real serial killers. Especially hearing the family of Dahmer’s victims weren’t consulted.”
Murphy defended his project by stating that extensive research was conducted and efforts were made to contact the victims’ families and friends, though they received no responses. Surely, a part of human nature finds the macabre and the minds of terrible criminals intriguing. This curiosity can stem from a desire to understand the darkest aspects of humanity or to feel a sense of safety by learning about such dangers from a distance. However, there’s a fine line between being intrigued and being insensitive. Grande’s comments, while perhaps intended to be provocative or humorous, fail to acknowledge the profound suffering of Dahmer’s victims and their families.
Source: TMZ, The Independent, YouTube
