Bill Clinton couldn’t help but keep his eyes off of Ariana Grande, as the singer performed at Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday.
As the 25-year-old belted out the words to the Franklin classic ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, the former United States President could be seen ogling Grande up and down.
‘Gross… Watch Bill Clinton look Ariana Grande up and down when she sings at #ArethaFranklinFuneral and try not to throw up in your mouth,’ said comedian Tim Young.
The 25-year-old belted out the words to the Franklin classic ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman at the Friday funeral in Detroit
Grande’s choice of funeral attire drew criticism, as the singer wore a tiny black dress with her signature ponytail along with a pair of black stilettos.
Many on Twitter in the black community felt that the choice of fashion was not traditional with the typical etiquette that accompanies African American homegoing services.
‘#ArianaGrande don’t know the below the knee rule for the pulpit in the black church. Somebody hand her a lap hanky and a choir robe. Bless her heart,’ tweeted one, Tenisha Taylor Bell.
‘I can’t believe she came in a black church for a black funeral dressed like this,’ said comedian and writer Crissle West.
As Grande sang, the former United States could be seen ogling her up and down
The sentiment was shared by many others, who shared photos of Fantasia and Je
Clinton had given a moving tribute to Franklin during her funeral in Detroit.
Grande’s choice of funeral attire drew criticism, as the singer wore a tiny black dress with her signature ponytail along with a pair of black stilettos
He said he and wife Hillary, who attended the funeral with him, had long been avid fans of the soul singer.
‘We started out not as President and First Lady, but as Aretha groupies or something,’ he joked.
He said Franklin’s power to pull a crowd was: ‘Not because she had this breathtaking talent, not because she grew up a princess of soul, but because she lived with courage. Not without fear, but overcoming her fears.’
‘She lived with faith… she lived with power. I just loved her,’ he said. ‘The secret of her greatness was she took this massive talent, and this perfect culture that raised her, and decided to be the composer of this massive song.’
Clinton could not resist throwing in a joke about Franklin’s flamboyant wardrobe, remarking: ‘I was so happy when I got here and the casket was still open, I got to think: ‘I wonder what my friend has on today’.’
The former President closed by explaining he didn’t love and respect Franklin for her talent, but for what she did with it, and how she treated others in the face of unimaginable success.
‘I can’t believe she came in a black church for a black funeral dressed like this,’ said comedian and writer Crissle West
‘She cared about broken people, she cared about people who were disappointed… about people who didn’t succeed as much as she did,’ he said.
‘And she worked her can off to get where she was. She took the gifts God gave her, and they just kept getting a little bigger every day.’
The former President finally cut himself off, having gone well over his time allotment, by playing Franklin’s ‘Think’ on his phone.