Ariana Grande Comeback Complete – Here’s How The ‘Focus’ Singer Shed Her Donut-Licking Image

Ariana Grande was on top of the world. Then she was the most hated celebrity this side of Bill Cosby.

But with a new record-breaking single on her hands, a chance at collecting an American Music Award or two this weekend, and a top grossing tour under her belt whilst under public scrutiny, it looks as if Ariana Grande’s comeback from her donut-licking scandal is complete.

As reported by the Latin Post, Grande’s most recent single, “Focus,” which was released October 30th, set a new Billboard record as Ariana became “the first artist to debut in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with each lead single from all three of her albums.”

Her debut album, Yours Truly yielded the Top 10 single “The Way,” while her sophomore effort, My Everything, gave us the hip shaking lead single “Problem,” featuring Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea, and as the article mentions, Grande has also entered three other songs in the Hot 100 Top 10 in just the short time she’s released music. Those tracks included “Break Free” featuring Zedd, “Bang Bang” featuring Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, and “Love Me Harder” featuring The Weeknd.

But what makes “Focus” all the more impressive is that just a few short months ago, Grande was on America’s hit list, having just insulted the entire country with one donut-licking gesture. Already plagued by rumors of diva behavior toward her fans and people she works with, Ariana was caught in a controversy following the heavily publicized donut-licking debacle that caught her and her boyfriend at the time, backup dancer Ricky Alvarez, licking display donuts on security footage at a local Los Angeles bakery, before cursing out the American people for being too fat.

And by following that up with a mea culpa that lacked sincerity, Ariana quickly became the #2 most hated celebrity according to a poll by Q Scores at the time. The only celebrity more hated, as Celebrity Dirty Laundry pointed out at the time, was alleged rapist Bill Cosby.

“It’s interesting that she ranks just below an (alleged) rapist and much higher on the hated list than (alleged) racist Paula Deen. Wow! Maybe this will be a wake up call for Ariana to behave better.”

And by all accounts it was. After taking some time out of the spotlight, Ariana took to the Jimmy Fallon show for her first public appearance since the scandal and won over the American people with a sugary sweet disposition and a remorseful attitude. She also followed that up with the release of new music in preparation for her third album release, Moonlight that has wowed critics and fans alike.

Then there were some recent pro-feminist comments via Twitter where Grande slammed an alleged body-shamer, as reported by Inquisitr, and drew praise from female celebrities including Modern Family star Ariel Winter, who was the subject of the initial comment.

All told, these events have culminated into a highly anticipated third record and a tour that shows no sign of slowing down. According to Billboard, Ariana Grande’s “Honeymoon” tour from June 12, 2015 to October 18, 2015, to promote her second album My Everything, took in a whopping $8.4 million dollars. Considering she was out there during the brunt of her social miscues only makes that number all the more impressive.

And finally, Grande is among several pop music nominees vying for “Artist of The Year” at the 22nd annual American Music Awards set to air Sunday November 22 at 8:00 pm. Grande squares off against heavy favorites Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, but regardless of whether she takes home a trophy or two, the venue will allow her yet another opportunity to redeem her public image with a live performance scheduled.

Whereas many celebrities that have come before Ariana Grande have come and gone when facing scandal, it appears as if this promising young singer has climbed her way back to the top once again.

[Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]