It sounds like Elvira and Ariana Grande can’t be friends.
The famous horror hostess, whose real name is Cassandra Peterson, spoke about her previous experience with Grande, adding fuel to the “diva” fire that has enveloped the pop star for many years.
Appearing at Knott’s Scary Farm on Saturday to sign autographs and participate in a Q&A at the curated “Yours Cruelly, Elvira XXperience,” the Mistress of the Dark was asked about her worst celebrity interaction in a fan-recorded video.
ARIANA GRANDE ADMITS SHE ‘SOMETIMES’ DOESN’T LIKE HER FANS
Cassandra Peterson candidly spoke about a previous interaction she had with Ariana Grande and her posse. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images/Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
“It rhymes with Pariana Mande,” she told the crowd, eliciting gasps and boos from the audience. The host, who was out of frame, was perplexed before realizing who Peterson was calling out.
“Oh oh! Yeah, we didn’t have any doughnuts for her backstage,” the host joked, referencing the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer’s infamous doughnut licking incident from 2015.
The Elvira character was created by Cassandra Peterson at The Groundlings. (Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
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Peterson, who made her character “Elvira” famous beginning in the early ’80s, continued with her story but didn’t disclose when the interaction occurred.
Grande “came [to my show] and she brought 20 guests. So she wanted 21 tickets. We’re like, ‘OK,’” Peterson started. “She gets backstage, and she asks if I could take pictures with all of her friends and relatives she brought.”
Cassandra Peterson attends an event in Los Angeles in March 2024. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
“I take a picture with every single one of them. I sign autographs for every single one of them,” Peterson explained. “Then I say to her, ‘Could we take a photo together,’ and she goes, ‘No, I don’t really do that.'”
Ariana Grande reportedly told Cassandra Peterson she doesn’t take pictures. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Attendees could be heard booing the story. “And then she left before my show started. All her relatives stayed,” she marveled.
“I say to her, ‘Could we take a photo together,’ and she goes, ‘No, I don’t really do that.'”
— Cassandra Peterson
At the end of the video, the host makes one more jab. “She’s playing the wrong witch,” referring to Grande’s upcoming role in the highly-anticipated film “Wicked,” where she portrays Glinda the Good Witch.
Ariana Grande and her “Wicked” co-star Cynthia Erivo speak at CinemaCon 2024. (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Yesterday, Peterson posted a screenshot to Instagram of an article written about the conflict. Today, Grande expressed her remorse for the interaction in the comment section, admitting she doesn’t remember it and that it might have spurred from an anxiety attack.
“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)… but if i’m misremembering this moment, i sincerely apologize for offending you so,” she wrote.
“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!) sending love always. you’ll always be our queen of halloween!”
Ariana Grande apologized to Cassandra Peterson on Instagram, saying an anxiety attack was likely the problem. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Ariana Grande commented on Cassandra Peterson’s Instagram post apologizing for the incident. (Cassandra Peterson Instagram)
This isn’t the first time Grande has been accused of diva behavior.
In May 2020, Grande appeared on Apple Music’s “Zane Lowe Show,” and spoke about how she was impacted by the media’s narrative of her.
“I stopped doing interviews for a really long time because I felt like whenever I would get into a position where somebody would try to say something for clickbait or twist my words or blah-blah-blah. I would defend myself and then people would be like, ‘Oh, she’s a diva.’ And I was like, ‘This doesn’t make any sense.'”
ARIANA GRANDE DEFENDS HERSELF AGAINST ‘DIVA’ ACCUSATIONS
Ariana Grande has previously defended herself from accusations of being a diva. (Art Streiber/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
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Grande pointed out that women in her position are often spoken about differently than men. “It makes you want to quiet down a little bit. But I’m trying to also say, ‘F— that.’”
“I’m tired of seeing women silenced by it. I think there’s this thing where, like, we’ll hear something or [someone will be] like, ‘Oh she said this.’ … It really sits with you. And you feel like, ‘Oh wow, should I not express myself anymore or should I not have this fight that I want to have anymore? … Should I just say, ‘OK’ and let it be? It kind of f—s you up a little bit.”
Representatives for Grande and Peterson did not return Fox News Digital’s immediate request for comment.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer and LinkedIn. Story tips can be sent to caroline.thayer@fox.com.
