Ariana Grande's donut-licking video has landed her in some legal trouble.
A video was released by TMZ earlier this week showing the 22-year-old singer and her alleged new boyfriend Ricky Alvarez licking donuts placed on a countertop at Wolfee Donuts when a worker's back was turned away from them. The two reportedly licked the pastries during a game of "Truth and Dare."
The video was handed over to a detective by the Wolfee Donuts shop owner and is now being investigated by the police in Lake Elsinore, Calif. and the Environmental Health department.
The department is looking into why the pastries were left on the countertop and if the donut shop has a history of leaving food out on display. California health laws require restaurants to protect all food from contact with the public, according to Dottie Ellis-Merki, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health.
"During the investigation, the manager did state they normally don't leave donuts out like was shown in the video," Ellis-Merki said, according to Us Weekly. "The employee went to the back to retrieve freshly made donuts by request of the customer [Grande] and left the trays out while getting other trays."
Grande also spit on the tray holding the pastries, according to store owner Joe Marin, Us Weekly reported. Mayra Solis, one of the staff members in charge at that time, said the singer did not purchase any of the donuts she or Alvarez licked.
The items that were licked by Grande were reportedly sold to others customers. The incident took place around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.
In the same video, released by TMZ on Tuesday, Grande is heard saying, "What the f--k is that? I hate Americans. I hate America." She later released a statement addressing her actions and apologizing for her comments.
"I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American and I've always made it clear that I love my country," she said in a statement. "What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the doughnuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words."
Grande said in her statement her choose of word comes from her frustration over America's unhealthy lifestyle, saying, "The fact that the United States has one of the highest child obesity rates 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."
"However I should have known better in how I expressed myself and with my new responsibility to others as a public figure I will strive to be better," Grande added.
She followed up the statement, which read, "Need to clean up this mouth of mine & set a better example for my babies. I apologize and I love you. always learning."
Following the incident, Grande also announced Wednesday that she would not perform at the MLB All-Star Concert on Saturday, but her denied that it had anything to do with her "I hate America" comment.
