Pastor Apologizes To Ariana Grande For Racial Joke & Inappropriately Touching Her: It’s not my intention to touch any woman’s breast.

Pastor Apologizes To Ariana Grande For Racial Joke & Inappropriately Touching Her: It’s not my intention to touch any woman’s breast.

Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, the bishop who officiated Aretha Franklin’s funeral is issuing a public apology to Ariana Grande. Ellis was criticized by some for making a racially insensitive joke to Ariana and touching her inappropriately.

After Ariana performed on stage, Ellis awkwardly greeted the singer. Images went viral showing him holding the singer well above her waist, with his fingers pressing against one side of her chest.

See the clip.

What was up with that pastors hand? pic.twitter.com/M8Ypgm7fQB

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) August 31, 2018

The preacher apologized stating,

“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.”

He continued,

“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 also apologized to Ariana, her fans and Hispanic community for making a joke about seeing her name on the program and thinking it was a new item on the Taco Bell menu.

Funny moment during the #ArethaFranklinFuneral: Bishop Ellis tells @ArianaGrande when he saw her on the program he thought “it was a new something at Taco Bell.” pic.twitter.com/Sxgh8Nnt9n

— Local 4 WDIV Detroit (@Local4News) August 31, 2018

He says,

“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.”

Ariana has yet to respond.

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