Change of heart? Ariana Grande continued her Honeymoon Tour on Thursday, July 16, and took the chance to praise the United States of America in the middle of her show.
Grande, 22, returned to the stage for her international tour after a three-week hiatus, playing to a packed crowd at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The singer’s tour break was hardly a quiet one, however, as she made headlines for her so-called “Donutgate” scandal.
As previously reported, the former child star was forced to issue multiple apologies after security footage surfaced from a donut shop in California, in which Grande was seen licking donuts meant for customers and uttering the words, “I hate Americans. I hate America!”
It seems that the Florida native is a much bigger fan of her home country these days. Grande took a break from performing such hits as “Bang Bang,” “Problem,” and “Break Free” on Thursday night to express her patriotism to the crowd of thousands.
“I’m so grateful to be here in Tampa,” she yelled to her fans. “And I’m so, so grateful to be here performing in the U.S.A. — the greatest country in the world! I love you guys so much.”
After the show, Grande took to Twitter to celebrate her return, writing, “Thank you, Tampa. absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude. I love love love you, babes. and appreciate you. more than you’ll ever know.”
Watch Grande declare her love for the U.S. in the video above!
