Bishop Charles H. Ellis has been accused of “groping” pop superstar Ariana Grande on stage at Aretha Franklin’s funeral.
A service for The Queen of Soul was held at a church in Detroit on Friday, which was attended by Bill Clinton and Clinton, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.
Who is Bishop Charles H. Ellis III?
Charles H Ellis III is an American Pentecostal is pastor at the 4000 seat church in Detroit’s west side where Aretha Franklin’s funeral service took place.The Bishop is a longtime friend of the Aretha Franklin’s family and spent time spent time with her final weeks of struggle with the rare pancreatic disorder that ultimately took her life.
 |
| Who Is Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, Did He ‘Grope’ Ariana Grande at Aretha Franklin’s Funeral and What Has He Said? |
The 60-year-old Bishop Ellis assumed pastor duties at the Greater Grace Temple from his father after he died in 1996.
Did he grope Ariana Grande at Aretha Franklin's funeral?
Bishop Charles H. Ellis III led Franklin's funeral and awkwardly greeted Grande on stage after she performed "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."Images of the moment showed Ellis' hand holding Grande well above her waist, with his fingers pressing against one side of her chest.
Many people posted close-up images of the moment on Twitter, tagging it #RespectAriana.
Has he apologised?
The preacher later apologise saying: "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 artists and the 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."
“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, her fans and Hispanic community for making a joke about seeing her name on the program and thinking it was a new item on the Taco Bell menu.
"When you're doing a program for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there,” he said.
