The bishop who presided over Aretha Franklin‘s funeral service has apologized to Ariana Grande after he botched her name and appeared to get a bit handsy onstage. After Grande performed A Natural Woman during the funeral on Friday, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III greeted Grande with an awkward touch. He also made a remark about how he needs to brush up on the younger generations because when he saw her name he thought it was a “new something at a Taco Bell.” Both Grande and the audience appeared to laugh at the remark, however, the Bishop has since apologized for getting “too friendly.” “I personally and sincerely apologize to Ariana and to her fans and to the whole Hispanic community,” Ellis said in his apology, according to AP. “When you’re doing a program for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there.” Turning to the awkward touch, Ellis also said that was not meant to be anything more than a greeting. “I hug all the female artists and the male artists,” Ellis told. “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: “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 apologize.” [image via screengrab] Have a tip we should know? [email protected]<doc-sep>The bishop at Aretha Franklin’s star-studded funeral is apologizing for getting too touchy with singer Ariana Grande. Bishop Charles H. Ellis III has issued an apology after receiving criticism for seemingly touching Ariana Grande’s breast while on stage. “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.. I apologize.” Grande was one of the stars paying tribute to the “Queen of Soul” on Friday. Following Grande’s performance of Franklin’s hit “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” Ellis spoke with her at the podium and wrapped his arms around the singer. Some pointed out that Grande did not seem entirely comfortable with the contact. Ellis said he did not single Grande out and that he hugged everyone on stage, male or female. “I hug all the female artists and the male artists,” the Bishop told the AP. “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.” Sign up for our Entertainment Newsletter. Subscribe to More to the Story to get the context you need for the pop culture you love. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Contact us at letters@time.com.<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>The bishop who officiated at Aretha Franklin's funeral has apologised to Ariana Grande for how he touched her onstage and a joke he made about her name. Bishop Charles 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 Mr Ellis' hand holding Grande well above her waist, with his fingers pressing against one side of her chest. The preacher apologised in an interview with The Associated Press at the cemetery where Franklin was interred late Friday. "It would never be my intention to touch any woman's breast. ... I don't know I guess I put my arm around her," Mr Ellis said. "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.<doc-sep>
Ariana Grande has received an apology from the bishop who led Aretha Franklin’s funeral after he was accused of touching her inappropriately while on stage. Bishop Charles Ellis III, who officiated at Franklin’s funeral, awkwardly greeted Grande on stage after she performed (You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman. Images showed Ellis’s hand holding Grande well above her waist, with his fingers pressing against one side of her chest. A video of the greeting has since gone viral, and within hours, the hashtag #RespectAriana was trending worldwide, with many viewers expressing their outrage over the clip. The preacher later apologised at the cemetery where Franklin was interred on Friday evening and also said sorry for making a joke about her name. Ellis said: “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 and 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.” Ellis also apologised to Grande for making a joke about seeing her name on the programme and thinking it was a new item on the menu of Taco Bell, a Tex-Mex chain of fast-food restaurants popular in the US. “I personally and sincerely apologise to Ariana and to her fans and to her whole community,” Ellis said. “When you’re doing a programme for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there.” Grande has previously clarified that she is in fact of Italian rather than Hispanic descent. Grande has yet to make any comment about the matter.