Dahmer victim's family slams Ariana Grande for calling serial killer her dream dinner date: 'She's sick in her mind'

The family of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims is calling out Ariana Grande after she recently revealed that she once told a young fan that the Milwaukee serial killer was her dream dinner date. 

Shirley Hughes, the mother of aspiring model Tony Hughes, told TMZ that Grande’s remarks not only made her emotional, but were also concerning because they appeared to show a lack of empathy for the families and loved ones of the 17 men and boys who were killed by Dahmer between 1978 and 1991.

"To me, it seems like she’s sick in her mind,” she said. “It’s not fancy or funny to say you would have wanted to do dinner with him. It’s also not something you should say to young people, which she says she did."

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Hughes, who was deaf and could not speak, was 31 when he was killed by Dahmer after meeting him at a gay bar in 1991. His mother told the outlet that she was particularly troubled by the way that Grande laughed when discussing her obsession with the serial killer, noting that she and the families of other victims experience genuine pain whenever he is mentioned in conversation.

His sister, Barbara Hughes-Holt, also told TMZ that Grande’s comments appeared to idolize Dahmer, who was killed in prison in 1994, and that she hoped the Grammy-winner would apologize, if only so that her fanbase would know that her comments weren’t acceptable. 

She continued, “Unfortunately, until it happens to her and her family, she just doesn’t know what we have been through.”

Hughes' family has repeatedly condemned the fascination surrounding Dahmer in recent years following the release of Ryan Murphy's 2022 Netflix series, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. At the time, his mother stated that the show's events "didn't happen like that," and rebuked Evan Peters' Golden Globes win for his portrayal of the serial killer for keeping "the obsession going." (Murphy has claimed that he reached out to "around 20 of the victims' families and friends" as part of research for the project, but that "not a single person responded to us.")

Grande, who was “infatuated with serial killers when I was younger,” explained on the Podcrushed podcast that the incident occurred prior to the release of Dahmer at a Q&A session years ago.  

“I was like, ‘Oh, you're so cute. Mom and dad, is it okay if I give the real answer?’” She recalled. “And they were like ‘Sure, what’s the answer?’ and I was like, ‘I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty fascinating. I think I would have loved to have met him. Y’know, maybe with a third party or someone involved. But I have questions.’”

The response did not go over well with the other adults in the room, likely because not only was Dahmer a serial killer but he also ate some of his victims. "The parents were like, 'We’ll explain it later, sweetie,’” she teased. “And I was like, ‘I’ll just sing ‘Problem’ and go home.”

Listen to Grande's comments in the clip above.