Ariana Grande apologizes for Elvira snub: ‘I’m so disheartened’

Ariana Grande is publicly apologizing to Cassandra Peterson after the actress known as Elvira described a bad experience meeting the singer years ago.

In a video circulating online, the Mistress of Darkness opened up at a panel conversation about her worst celebrity encounter with a singer whose name, she said not so subtly, “rhymes with Pariana Mande.”

She recalled the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer requesting 20 tickets for an Elvira show for her friends and family and having Peterson, 73, sign autographs and take pictures with all of them backstage. When Peterson asked for a photo with Grande, 31, she said the singer replied, “No, I don’t really do that,” eliciting boos from the crowd, as heard in the video. Peterson said Grande left before the show started, without her friends and family.

Grande commented on Peterson’s Monday Instagram post, where she shared the clip, to offer an explanation.

“i’m so disheartened to see this. i actually don’t even remember getting the chance to meet you because i had an anxiety attack and to my memory, left before the rest of my family (this was around 7 years ago and at the time i was really not great with being in public crowds or loud places)…” she said. “but if i’m misremembering this moment, i sincerely apologize for offending you so.”

Grande may be referring to the time period after her 2017 Manchester concert was the site of a deadly bombing, killing 22 people. The Grammy award-winning singer has been open about how traumatic the experience was for her.

“thank you for being so nice to my mom, she told me how lovely you were (she might have different feelings about that now but i’ll talk to her… clearly, we all have our days!)” she continued. “you’ll always be our queen of halloween!”

USA TODAY has reached out to Peterson and Grande’s reps for comment.

Peterson played the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, in the 1980s television program “Elvira’s Movie Macabre,” and later, the 1988 film “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark” and the 2001 film “Elvira’s Haunted Hills.”