The Christian Post reports that Bishop Charles H. Ellis III has issued an apology after he was accused of inappropriately touching Ariana Grande during Aretha Franklin’s funeral service.
The service was recorded, and clips of the footage and photos of the moment went viral on social media.
Ellis greeted Grande on the Greater Grace Temple stage in Detroit after she finished her rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” during the Friday service. At this point Ellis wrapped his arm around the pop star with his hand positioned near her breast and it appears as if his fingers were pressing down. Based on Grande’s facial expressions in the footage, many are speculating that she was clearly uncomfortable with what was happening.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday 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.”
He continued, “Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.”
The bishop 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,” he concluded.
Many fans,…
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