Not another problem, please! Ariana Grande was reminded of her embarrassing Doughnutgate before the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 28 — and she didn’t seem pleased.
The awkward moment went down while the “Love Me Harder” singer, 23, was chatting with Charlamagne on the white carpet. “You can’t be lickin’ no pastries,” joked the 36-year-old TV personality, who was one of the pre-show’s correspondents. Grande, wearing a custom Alexander Wang lace off-the-shoulder bandeau and tuxedo pants, kept mum on the subject.
In September 2015, the “Dangerous Woman” singer made headlines for licking doughnuts that were on display at Wolfee Donuts in Lake Elsinore, California. The video, which was released by TMZ, also showed her saying “I hate America” and kissing her backup dancer Ricky Alvarez. The couple split last month.
Grande, who is has been spotted getting cozy with Mac Miller, later apologized for her behavior in a statement to Us Weekly. “I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American and I’ve always made it clear that I love my country. What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the doughnuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words,” she said at the time. “As an advocate for healthy eating, food is very important to me and I sometimes get upset by how freely we as Americans eat and consume things without giving any thought to the consequences that it has on our health and society as a whole.”
Last month, it was revealed that Grande’s actions cost her a performance at the White House. According to hacked Democratic National Committee emails, she was not considered for a gig because of the controversy.
Grande has moved on from the scandal. On Sunday, she will perform her new single “Side to Side” with Nicki Minaj at the VMAs at NYC’s Madison Square Garden. Additionally, she’s nominated five times, in categories including Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for her smash song “Into You.”
