Ariana Grande responds to criticism of Pete Davidson's Manchester Arena joke: 'I didn't find it funny'

SNL host was criticised for insensitivity after making the joke just months after the terror attack which killed 22 people

Ariana Grande has responded to criticism of her fiance Pete Davidson's joke about the Manchester Arena attack.

On 1 July it was reported that Davidson had made a joke about the attack during a stand-up routine, months after the incident.

The 24-year-old comedian, actor and Saturday Night Live host is alleged to have joked that Grande must realise how famous she had become because "Britney Spears didn't have a terror attack at her concert".

22 people were killed in the Manchester Arena attack last year, after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device shortly after Grande's concert ended.

Davidson was criticised for the insensitivity of the gag, and fans of Grande questioned why she was still with the SNL host after news of the joke surfaced.

One fan wrote: "I respect Ariana and I want her to be happy and everything, but she was just broken after the Manchester bombing, so I don't know why she is still with Pete, like yeah he made that joke a while ago, but like it's not funny, it's just rude. This is my opinion."

Responding to the tweet, Grande said: "This has been v tough & conflicting on my heart. He [Davidson] uses comedy to help ppl [sic] feel better ab how f-ed up things in this world are. We all deal w trauma differently. I of course didn't find it funny. It was months ago & his intention wasn't/is never malicious but it was unfortunate." She added: "I hear and respect you always."

Davidson has not commented personally about the joke, but a representative told Metro: "No subject is off limits and that includes jokes about his father and 9/11."

Grande and Davidson became engaged in June after dating for just over a month. The singer is set to release her new album Sweetener on 17 August, which includes a song about her fiance called "Pete".

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Davidson most recently appeared in the Netflix romantic comedy film Set It Up, as the best friend of Charlie [Glen Powell] - assistant to the highly-strung venture capitalist Rick [Taye Diggs].