Top pop star Ariana Grande is getting a lot of criticism these days–after apparently yelling (on video), “I hate Americans! I hate America!” while in a donut shop.
The video, which was leaked a few days after the incident, also shows Grande and a male companion licking some donuts (which they hadn’t purchased) that were sitting on display on top of the counter at Wolfee Donuts in Lake Elsinore, California.
The owner of Wolfee Donuts, Joseph Marin, was apparently “furious” that anyone, especially an A-list celebrity like Grande, would exhibit such boorish behavior in his store.
“A customer out there could have got sick,” he explained.
Grande first gained widespread exposure in 2009, when she starred on Disney Channel’s TV show, “Victorious.” But she skyrocketed to fame as a singer in 2013–and, since then, she’s released five number one hits, which earned her the distinction of being the most successful music artist of 2014.
Shortly after landing in hot water, Grande took to social media to profusely apologize for her anti-American tirade.
“I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American,” she wrote. “What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the donuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words.”
Instead of stopping there, she continued, making a stance against obesity in America:
“The fact that the United States has the highest child obesity rate in the world frustrates me. We need to do more to educate ourselves and our children about the dangers of overeating and the poison that we put into our bodies. We need to demand more from our food industry.”
By licking donuts and unleashing an anti-American tirade, apparently.
According to Marin, Grande has not yet apologized to him or his employees, who served the “rude” Grande at Wolfee Donuts.
Wolfee Donuts has also been knocked down a grade by the health inspector, for apparently allowing Grande and her friend to lick the donuts in question. But things seemed to work out okay for them: they reported they’ve “tripled” their business, thanks to their role in the infamous Ariana Grande video.
