Ariana Grande may have publicly apologized to actress Cassandra Peterson, but many fans claim her regrets were shrouded with ulterior meaning.
Peterson, 72, is known by her stage name Elvira, the Mistress of Darkness. In a recent Q&A, she was asked to share her worst celebrity encounter, during which she named a singer who’s name rhymed with ‘Pariana Mande.’
The Wicked star, 31, responded in an Instagram comment on Elvira’s account, under a screenshot of an article reporting the snub.
‘I’m so disheartened to see this,’ the singer and actress wrote.
She continued: ‘I actually don’t even remember getting the chance to meet you because I had an anxiety attack and to my memory, left before the rest of my family.’
Ariana Grande was been slammed by Elvira for allegedly snubbing her during a meet and greet with the Queen of Halloween
The Side To Side singer noted the incident itself took place ‘around seven years ago,’ and she ‘was really not great with being in public crowds or loud places’ at the time.
‘But if I’m misremembering this moment, I sincerely apologize for offending you so,’ she wrote.
However, it was the final sentence which has people questioning the sincerity of her apology.
‘Thank you for being so nice to my mom, she told me how lovely you were (she might have different feelings about that now but I’ll talk to her… clearly, we all have our days!)’ she wrote.
‘Sending love always,’ she concluded the post. ‘You’ll always be our queen of Halloween!’
In response to the post, many questioned the authenticity of Grande’s apology due to the line about her mom. ‘The apology is canceled out because she followed it by being shady,’ one person wrote.
‘(She might have different feelings about that now) so unnecessary lmao,’ another said.
Peterson is best known for her sultry role as Elvira – pictured 1983
The Wicked star, 31, responded in an Instagram comment on Elvira’s account, under a screenshot of an article reporting the snub
The Side To Side singer noted the incident itself took place ‘around seven years ago,’ and she ‘was really not great with being in public crowds or loud places’ at the time
‘And then I say to her, “Could we take a photo together?’ and she goes, ‘No, I don’t really do that.”‘ – Peterson pictured October 2024
Grande’s response divided users, some whom thought the comment about her mom was unnecessary
‘The passive aggressive comment about her mom?????!!!’ one user exclaimed.
However, others thought Elvira was overreacting over an incident that took place close to a decade ago.
‘It was deserved. That whole ig post was being shady,’ one fan commented.
‘Elvira literally posted an entire article calling her a wicked witch and you want Ariana to send her sunshine and followers?’ another pointed out.
The story began after Elvira was asked about her worst celebrity encounters at the Q&A session – and quipped the star’s name rhymed with ‘Pariana Mande.’
She said the Wicked star had requested 20 tickets for an Elvira show for her friends and family, asking her to sign autographs and take photos with them backstage.
‘I’ll tell you briefly… she came and she brought 20 guests, so she wanted 20, 21 tickets,’ she recounted. ‘We’re like, “Okay,” and we give her the tickets.
‘She comes backstage and she asks if I could take pictures with all of her friends and relatives she brought,’ she continued. ‘I take a picture with every single one of them. I sign autographs for every single one of them.’
However, the Mistress of Darkness claimed when she asked for a photo with the 31-year-old she replied, ‘No, I don’t really do that.’
Peterson added that Grande left before the show started, without her guests.
While the actress didn’t share the clip to her social media directly, she posted a screenshot of an article reporting the snub to her Instagram.
