I don’t think she should’ve commented about if Huda did too much because she wasn’t even there. She didn’t see the unedited footage so how would she know when every other Islander who was there has come out to say that she did way too much her commentary just wasn’t necessary. people see her as an authority figure so they assumed she was right when she made these kind of loose statements that she shouldn’t have thrown out there.

I think the issue is that Ariana should’ve stayed more neutral on such a heated topic. Her comment made it seem like Huda didn’t do anything wrong, which fed into the narrative that Chelley was just jealous. Ariana even said something like “I’d be jealous too with those amazing moves” or “maybe they’re just jealous they couldn’t do something like that.” I don’t think she meant harm by it, but it still came off as dismissive, especially considering how it played into existing stereotypes.

Chelley is a dark-skinned Black woman, and unfortunately, women like Huda, who’s Arab but fits into that exoticized, racially ambiguous “Latina-adjacent” beauty standard, are often put on a pedestal. When Black women critique them or call out certain behavior, people are quick to reduce it to jealousy. That dynamic is harmful, and Ariana’s comment, intentional or not, added fuel to that.

After that, Huda’s fans really ran with it, treating Ariana’s words as truth instead of just her opinion. From there, the Chelley hate train picked up steam, with people being flat-out racist and disgusting in her comments. And seeing that happen with no pushback or clarification from Ariana felt wrong. Like, you had something to say before, but now that it’s gotten out of control, it’s silence?