Bishop Charles H Ellis III’s hug of the singer, and a joke about her name, was interpreted by some as crossing a line

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Ariana Grande has received an apology from the bishop who led Aretha Franklin’s funeral after he was accused of touching her inappropriately while on stage.

Bishop Charles Ellis III, who officiated at Franklin’s funeral, awkwardly greeted Grande on stage after she performed (You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman. Images showed Ellis’s hand holding Grande well above her waist, with his fingers pressing against one side of her chest.

A video of the greeting has since gone viral, and within hours, the hashtag #RespectAriana was trending worldwide, with many viewers expressing their outrage over the clip.

The preacher later apologised at the cemetery where Franklin was interred on Friday evening and also said sorry for making a joke about her name. 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 apologise.”

He said he hugged all the performers during Friday’s eight-hour service.

“I hug all the female and 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.”

He added: “The last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to this day. This is all about Aretha Franklin.”

Ellis also apologised to Grande for making a joke about seeing her name on the programme and thinking it was a new item on the menu of Taco Bell, a Tex-Mex chain of fast-food restaurants popular in the US.

“I personally and sincerely apologise to Ariana and to her fans and to her whole community,” Ellis said.

“When you’re doing a programme for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there.”

Grande has previously clarified that she is in fact of Italian rather than Hispanic descent.

Grande has yet to make any comment about the matter.