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It’s no spellbinding secret that not all star encounters are charmed.
On Sunday, October 20, Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, unveiled a less-than-magical moment with Ariana Grande at a 2016 meet-and-greet — and the 73-year-old Mistress of the Dark wasn’t shy about sharing her not-so-sweet encounter.
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When asked about her worst celebrity run-in during a Q&A session in Buena Park, California, Peterson joked that it rhymed with “Pariana Mande.” It didn’t take long for the crowd to put two and two together — the Queen of Halloween was referring to the 31-year-old “Thank u, Next” singer.
Peterson then gave the audience a rundown of what happened.
“She came [to my show] and she brought 20 guests,” the former horror hostess started. “So she wanted 20 or 21 tickets and we were like, ‘Okay!’ and we gave her the tickets. And she comes backstage, and she asks if I could take pictures with all of her friends and relatives she brought.”
Peterson continues, “I take a picture with every single one of them. I sign autographs for every single one of them. Then I say to her, ‘Can we take a photo together?’ She goes, ‘Nah, I don’t really do that.'”
To make matters worse, the Hollywood icon revealed that Grande allegedly “left before the show even started” while “all her relatives stayed.” Laughing, Peterson added, “Okay, right? Just sayin.” The audience, however, was less amused, reacting with audible gasps and boos.
Tom Vanucci, the Kansas native’s former show director, chimed in, saying, “It’s all true!” Without skipping a beat, the moderator, Jeff Tucker, quipped, “She’s playing the wrong witch,” alluding to the pop princess’s role as Glinda the “Good Witch” in the upcoming film Wicked.
A fan captured the moment on video and uploaded it to TikTok, where it didn’t take long for the comments to start rolling in.
“I don’t think Ariana understands that when her and Elvira are in a room, Elvira is the celebrity, not her,” one person pointed out.
“People you never diss: Elvira, Dolly Parton, Keanu Reeves…” expressed another.
“Ariana doesn’t realize that’s a national TREASURE. She can NOT mess with the Elvira,” chimed in a third.
“oh they could never make me hate u ari,” declared another.
Grande has yet to comment.