Kind Dad Sends Ariana Grande ‘Redneck Love’ After Manchester Attack In Touching Letter
A Georgia dad’s kind words to singer Ariana Grande following the devastating bombing in Manchester, England, earlier this week have gone viral, according to Entertainment Weekly.
The open letter, penned by self-proclaimed “redneck” Phillip Millsaps, began to spread through social media early Friday and is filled to the brim with kindness and consideration for the “Into You” performer, who is said to be spending time with her family as she heals from the aftermath of the May 22 terror attack.
“I am the father of three daughters, ages 13, 12 and 12,” Millsaps explains in his opening paragraph, “so, you have been a part of our family for years.”
After a nod to Grande’s past career as a child star on Nickelodeon’s VicTORious and Sam & Cat — the latter of which, Millsaps refuses to “confirm or deny that [he’s] seen every episode” of — the father states that his reason for writing has to do with the apology Ariana made on Twitter immediately following the Manchester attack.
“Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so, so sorry,” Grande expressed.
“Since you are [a] part of my family,” Millsaps continued, “I’m afraid I need to set you straight, girl. So listen up and receive some redneck love from a daddy of daughters.”
“You don’t have a thing to apologize for. If some jacka** had gotten drunk and killed someone with his car next to your hotel in Manchester, would you feel responsible? If the night before your concert, a tornado hit Manchester and tragically killed several people who were going to your concert, would you feel the need to apologize?”
Millsaps says that the only people responsible for what took place after Grande’s concert were the “cowards” directly involved in planning the bombing.
“You are no more responsible for the actions of an insane coward who committed an act in your proximity, than you would be for a devastating natural disaster or acts of morons near your hotel,” Philip wrote.
The dad also warns Ariana not to return to the spotlight until she’s properly healed from the Manchester tragedy (Grande’s management team confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that the remaining Dangerous Woman tour dates have been indefinitely postponed).
“[If your team] calls you within the next 30 days, they [should be] fired,” Millsaps stated.
“Spend time with your God, your family and your friends who will give you space and support when you need it. Hell, go lick as many freaking donuts as you want. Girl, you deserve it! When and only when you are ready, [feel free to] sing again.”
The father closes out his note by praising Grande for her vocal talents and reminds her that she possesses a gift that is both healing and powerful: The gift of song.
“Music is the international language of peace. Every time you open your mouth and share that incredible God-given gift to the world, you make this crappy world a little less crappy,” he relays.
“Take care of you first,” Millsaps adds.
“Your fans aren’t going anywhere.”
The full letter can be read below.
As of this post, Millsaps’ warm words to Grande have been retweeted more than 24,000 times on Twitter and have been “favorited” more than twice that amount.
In another tweet sent after the letter, the father acknowledged to one of Grande’s fans that while he’s appreciative of the public support, it’s not the reason he shared the note openly.
“No awards for me,” Millsaps mentioned early Friday afternoon.
“Just love and compassion for the dads who lost their little girls and the Manchester first responders and law enforcement.”
Incidentally, Ariana Grande would go on to share her own letter regarding the Manchester bombing on Friday afternoon, as People reported. No word if the singer has come across Millsaps’ response to her tweet yet.
[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]
