Meet Elvira’s daughter Sadie Pierson: the Mistress of the Dark just called out Ariana Grande and endorsed Kamala Harris – her daughter used to dress as her character and now avoids the spotlight

Oct 31 , 2024

Elvira described meeting Grande as her ‘least favourite’ celebrity encounter, then made headlines again for endorsing Harris; her daughter has maintained a low profile and avoids controversy

Arguably no celebrity is more closely associated with Halloween than Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. The horror icon, embodied by actress Cassandra Peterson, is a celebrated Hollywood icon from the late 80s and continues to have an undeniable influence on pop culture, especially at Halloween. So when she recently shared the details of her “least favourite” celebrity encounter, the story quickly blew up into a viral controversy.

The drama went down at a Knott’s Scary Farm event, where the All About Evil star shared a story from last decade, when she met two-time Grammy winner Ariana Grande. The “Yes, and?” crooner had requested about 21 tickets to one of Elvira’s show for her friends and family, and during a meet-and-greet before the show, asked the star to take pictures with each of her 20 guests. As the horror hostess remembers it, she obliged, signed autographs for them, and in turn, asked for a photo with the Victorious star, who reportedly replied, “Nah, I don’t really do that.” Elvira went on to recall that after all that, Grande left before her show even started, while her guests stayed.

The revelation has divided fans, with Ariana fans attacking Elvira online with comments like, “Your era is so over, Grandma,” and “Imagine making up stories to promote s*** merchandising.” For her part, Grande took the opportunity to apologise, clarifying that she hardly remembers meeting Peterson that day because she was dealing with an anxiety attack. “This was around seven years ago and at the time I was really not great with being in public crowds or loud places,” the Wicked star explained, adding, “If I’m misremembering this moment, I sincerely apologise for offending you so.”

Ariana Grande at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles this month. Photo: AP Photo

If Grande recalls correctly, the encounter likely took place in the aftermath of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which happened during her concert and resulted in at least 22 deaths. The tragedy reportedly left the singer with PTSD symptoms, which would partly explain her alleged behaviour and inability to fully recall the meeting.

Days after the controversy, Peterson made headlines again for endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris in the upcoming US elections, emphasising that her stance was coming from her perspective “as a woman, a mother of a daughter of child-bearing age, a person in a same-sex relationship, and a US citizen who cares deeply about our democratic system”.

Peterson has been in a relationship with personal trainer Teresa Wierson since 2002. Before that, she was married to film producer Mark Pierson. The former couple share one child, Sadie Pierson, who is the daughter Peterson referred to in her endorsement of Harris. So what do we know about Sadie Pierson?

She had a pretty normal childhood

Cassandra Peterson (right) and her long-time partner Teresa Wierson, pictured in June 2022. Photo: @therealelvira/Instagram