Bishop Charles Ellis III was responsible for officiating Aretha Franklin’s funeral, but may have overstepped his boundary with singer Ariana Grande during their encounter on stage. Now, the preacher has issued an apology for doing what appeared to be groping the star.
Via an interview with AP, 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.” He went on to say “I hug all the female artists and the male artists. 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.”
Ariana Grande found herself in a precarious position during Aretha Franklin's funeral service after Bishop Charles H. Ellis III got pretty handsy. Grande sang "A Natural Woman" after which Bishop Ellis joined her on stage saying:
"I've got to apologize because I have to brush up. My 28-year-old daughter tells me, 'Dad! You are old at 60, [...] When I saw Ariana Grande on the program, I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell."
While joking around with Ariana, it appears that Bishop Ellis gropes the songstress whose facial expression doesn't seem to emote comfort with the situation. Although laughs were exchanged, many are calling out Bishop Ellis for his apparent groping.
Check out the clip above.
Source: YouTube
