Ariana Grande—and her mom Joan—are defending women on Twitter against TV presenter Piers Morgan after he made jabs at Little Mix and Ellen DeGeneres.
In this Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, file photo, Ariana Grande arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File
It began with a Nov. 20 tweet in which Morgan claimed he suffered from double standards and “the hypocrisy of modern feminism.” He wondered why he was “abused” for “complimenting” TV host Holly Willoughby’s legs while DeGeneres posted a video montage of shirtless men on International Men’s Day.
Some replies to DeGeneres’ tweet slammed her for objectifying men as the day was meant to raise awareness on mental health and suicide.
On the same day, he called out Little Mix for a photo shoot wherein the girl group’s members’ bare skins are written with insults, reminiscent of a Dixie Chicks magazine cover.
“When are you going to admit you stole this idea from the Dixie Chicks?” he wrote, sharing both photo shoots side by side.
He then insulted a member, Jesy Nelson, for tweeting a picture of her posing in her underwear. “Sultry? She looks ridiculous,” he tweeted. “Ask her to put some clothes on (if she has any…) & apologise for calling me a tw*t.”
Grande’s mama, Joan, was not having any of Morgan’s jibes. “Honestly what is wrong with you @piersmorgan? Didn’t your mother ever teach you, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it!” she tweeted earlier today, Nov. 22.
“You came for @TheEllenShow yesterday which was disgraceful, she is an angel. @LittleMix today, did you ever hear of paying homage? And… well never mind.”
Honestly what is wrong with you @piersmorgan ? Didn’t your mother ever teach you, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it! You came for @TheEllenShow yesterday which was disgraceful, she is an angel. @LittleMix today, did you ever hear of paying homage? And..well never mind https://t.co/5WBOlL8t6O
— Joan Grande (@joangrande) November 21, 2018
“Hi Joan, my mother taught me to speak my mind and never be afraid to express honestly held opinion. Ellen’s a hypocrite — and as for Little Mix, I’d just prefer they use their talent to sell records rather than their nudity. As your own daughter does…!”
It was finally time for the pop star to step in. As with her latest hit single, “thank u, next,” she responded with grace and a hint of disapproval.
“Ellen is an incredible and kind human being… I use my talent and my sexuality all the time because I choose to,” she replied today, Nov. 22.
“Women can be sexual and talented. Naked and dignified. It’s our choice. And we will keep fighting til people understand. I say this with all due respect but thank u, next.”
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1065298951711031296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1065298951711031296%7Ctwgr%5E363937393b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2018%2Fmusic%2Fnews%2Fariana-grande-nudity-piers-morgan-twitter-1203034840%2F
She also gave some unsolicited, though perhaps much-needed, advice: “I look forward to the day you realize there are other ways to go about making yourself relevant than to criticize young, beautiful, successful women for everything they do. That’ll be a beautiful thing for you and your career or what’s left of it.”
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1065300013335556096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1065300013335556096%7Ctwgr%5E363937393b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2018%2Fmusic%2Fnews%2Fariana-grande-nudity-piers-morgan-twitter-1203034840%2F
She also called out the British TV host for tweeting a nearly naked picture of himself laying by a fireplace along with a link to his Daily Mail article. “When u do it it’s ok tho right?” she observed.
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1065301295181914112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1065301295181914112%7Ctwgr%5E363937393b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2018%2Fmusic%2Fnews%2Fariana-grande-nudity-piers-morgan-twitter-1203034840%2F
Despite Grande’s kind words to his biting remarks, it seems Morgan wanted to stoke the fire even more, calling on Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen to defend Little Mix and Grande “over their nudity is the only way to succeed campaign” in a tweet yesterday, Nov. 21.
Meanwhile, DeGeneres showed love to Joan and Ariana, praising them for celebrating people inclusively. Even if he wasn’t tagged in the comments, Morgan appeared bitter at the unity the women expressed as he said that the exchange was “nauseating.” /ra
RELATED STORIES:
Ariana Grande named Billboard’s 2018 Woman of the Year
Little Mix told to ‘flirt with men of importance’ to have their songs played on radio