Ariana Grande has responded to the revelation that her fiancé, Pete Davidson, joked about the Manchester terror attack which took place shortly after her concert in May 2017. The One Last Time singer replied to a fan who criticised Pete for a comment he made during his stand-up routine in 2017, in which he said Ariana must know how famous she is because "Britney Spears didn't have a terrorist attack at her concert". Responding to the fan, the star wrote: "This has been very tough & conflicting on my heart. He uses comedy to help people feel better about how [expletive] up things in this world are. We all deal with trauma differently. I of course didn't find it funny. It was months ago & his intention wasn't/ is never malicious but it was unfortunate." She added: "I hear and respect you all always."
Ariana has responded to the backlash
Pete's rep has responded to the backlash, telling Metro: "He is a comedian. No subject is off limits and that includes jokes about his father and 9/11." Ariana's fans had a mixed reaction to her explanation, with one writing: "okay but the Manchester attack had NOTHING to do with him. I understand the ways he made jokes about his father's death to help cope but how was he affected by Manchester at all? How are his jokes in anyway supposed to make the victims feel better? It's just a sorry excuse," while another added: "Why are you apologising for him? He needs to come & do it himself. This is so unfair on me & everyone else who was at Manchester, we're all so upset over this."
Weeks after the devastating terrorist attack which took the lives of 22 people and injured 139 more, Ariana was made an honorary citizen of Manchester after holding a tribute concert to raise money for the victims. Last month, she posted a tribute on the one-year anniversary of the attack, writing: "Thinking of you all today and every day. I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day."
READ: Ariana Grande unveils new tattoo in honour of Manchester terror attack victims: see picture