“I’ve got to apologize because I have to brush up,” he said shortly after calling Grande back to the podium. “My 28-year-old daughter tells me, ‘Dad, you are old at 60.’ When I saw Ariana Grande on the program, I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell. Girl, let me give you all your respect.”<doc-sep>The internet was buzzing over the weekend after Bishop Charles H. Ellis III apologized to singer Ariana Grande after he was seen touching the star at Aretha Franklin's funeral in a way that some described as groping. But many on social media were uninspired by the bishop's response to accusations that he inappropriately touched the pop princess on live television. "The most important requirement of an apology is accepting responsibility for what you did wrong, and owning up to it. This isn't an apology," Kelly Ellis, a software engineer, tweeted. On Friday, Ellis, who officiated the Queen of Soul's homegoing services, wrapped his arm around Grande after she finished a rendition of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." "Girl, let me give you all your respect," Ellis said, as he put his arm around Grande's waist. But those watching the funeral couldn't help but notice Ellis' hand climbing higher as he spoke to the petite singer, eventually moving his hand up Grande's waist until it landed on her breast. On Saturday, Ellis apologized for the accidental touch. "It would never be my intention to touch any woman's breast. ... I don't know I guess I put my arm around her," Ellis told the Associated Press. "Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize." He said he hugged all the performers that day, saying gender wasn't a barrier. "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." He added, "The last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to this day. This is all about Aretha Franklin." (The bishop also made a joke about her name sounding like an item on Taco Bell's menu, for which he also later apologized.) Those on Twitter were lukewarm on Ellis' response to the allegations of groping. Bishop Charles Ellis chats with Ariana Grande after her performance at the funeral for Aretha Franklin at the Greater Grace Temple on Aug.31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Scott Olson / Getty Images Twitter user Jonah Frank wrote, "Am I the only one who is utterly incensed at how Bishop Ellis both physically and verbally sexually harassed Ariana Grande?? His apology is complete b---s---." Dani Deahl, an editor for DJ Mag, called the apology "bogus." "He believes this is friendly? This way of thinking is the problem. That touch was on a sexual spectrum," she wrote. Several others called the apology, "trash," "half-a----," and "a denial." The moment birthed the hashtag "#RespectAriana," and on Sunday, many tweeted that Grande should not have had to endure the alleged inappropriate touching. As of Sunday, Grande had not publicly responded to the apology.<doc-sep>A senior pastor of a megachurch in Detroit who was accused of groping the singer Ariana Grande during Aretha Franklin’s funeral service on Friday has apologized. “It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast,” the pastor, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, told The Associated Press. “Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.” Ms. Grande was one of several performers at the funeral at the Greater Grace Temple who was paying tribute to the “Queen of Soul.” She had just finished singing one of Ms. Franklin’s hit songs, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” but as she began to leave the stage, Ms. Grande was called back by the bishop. He thanked her and joked about how he was unaware of Ms. Grande’s work. “When I saw Ariana Grande at the program, I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell,” he said, his arm around her waist as his fingers remained pressed into the right side of her chest for more than 30 seconds. Ms. Grande laughed. (Her fourth album, “Sweetener,” was her third to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts.)<doc-sep>Ariana Grande’s performance at Aretha Franklin’s funeral yesterday (Sept. 1) was overshadowed by video of Pastor Charles H. Ellis III appearing to grope the singer, after making a joke about her name sounding like an item on Taco Bell’s menu. Grande hasn’t commented publicly on the incident, but the public backlash prompted Ellis to apologize for his actions—kind of. “It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast,” Ellis told the Associated Press. “Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.” The word “maybe” does a lot of work in that sentence, especially given the act was broadcast on international television. Here’s a video of the offense: Public apologies owning up to misdoings are often either non-apologies (“I’m sorry if you were offended”) or an attempt to garner sympathy. But these miss the point of an apology, which is to legitimize those you hurt, admit you were wrong, and convey that you’ve learned from the experience. A good apology, especially one from a public figure, doesn’t just admit fault but reinforces why the act was unacceptable. Whether we like or not, celebrities and moral leaders (like pastors) have an enormous power to set the standards of acceptable behavior. Ellis could learn from Shakespeare on this front: The Bard has been credited with turning the word “apology” from its historical roots, meaning a defense against an allegation, to a statement that shows remorse and seeks penance. It’s ironic that the catalyst for this change comes in Richard III, a play about a king’s rise to power with disregard for any law or moral fortitude. The word’s appearance in the third act is one of the first recorded instances when ‘apology’ is used to imply regret rather than a defense or justification. The shift in the usage signaled a massive change in how public figures cop to an offense: by simply owning up to it.<doc-sep>
The preacher apologized in an interview with The Associated Press at the cemetery where Franklin was interred late Friday. 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. DETROIT (AP) — The bishop who officiated Aretha Franklin’s funeral apologized Friday to Ariana Grande for how he touched her onstage and a joke he made about her name. ‘‘It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast. ... I don’t know I guess I put my arm around her,’’ Ellis said. ‘‘Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.’’ 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.’’ He added: ‘‘The last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to this day. This is all about Aretha Franklin.’’ Many people posted close-up images of the moment on Twitter, tagging it #RespectAriana. Ellis also apologized 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. ‘‘I personally and sincerely apologize to Ariana and to her fans and to the whole Hispanic community,’’ Ellis said. ‘‘When you’re doing a program for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there.’’ Ellis’ touching of Grande overshadowed some criticism earlier in the ceremony the short dress Grande wore for her performance. Numerous people posted criticisms online that the dress was too short for church. Grande’s representative did not return an email message seeking comment Friday.