Ariana Grande, spiritual heir to Will McAvoy, was videotaped licking doughnuts and saying “I hate Americaâ€Â at a California doughnut shop this weekend, and now, just like a true Aaron Sorkin hero would, she’s using her obligatory apology to speak truth to power. In a statement to BuzzFeed, Grande explained that the whole incident was really a protest against our country’s child-obesity epidemic. “What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the donuts, was taken out of context, and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words,†Grande said. “As an advocate for healthy eating, food is very important to me and I sometimes get upset by how freely we as Americans consume things without giving any thought to the consequences that it has on our health and society as a whole. The fact that the United States has the highest child obesity rate in the world frustrates me. We need to do more to educate ourselves and our children about the dangers of overeating and the poison that we put into our bodies.†Grande also emphasized that she is “EXTREMELY proud to be an American.â€
The full statement is below: