Frankie Grande forgives attackers who mugged him on the streets of NYC

After being a victim of a New York City mugging, Ariana Grande’s brother Frankie is forgiving his attackers.

In November 2022, Frankie Grande, 40, was attacked by two teens, aged 13 and 17, who stole his bag and hit him over the head. He says that it’s taken a while, but finally, he has arrived at a place of forgiveness.

Praying for his attackers

“All I can hope and pray is that the people who attacked me get the love and care that they need in order [to] know that’s not the way they need to live the rest of their lives,” said Frankie.

Police said the Big Brother alum was smashed in the back of the head and then robbed of his Louis Vuitton bag, which held his iPhone, AirPods, a pair of sunglasses, and a wallet. He was walking on Eighth Avenue between 43rd and 44th streets around 6 pm.

“Listen, it took me a minute, but this is what I do,” he told Page Six. “I’m an alcoholic, I’m sober and it’s always about projecting love and trying to give to other people so you receive in the end.”

Living with fear

He says it was challenging to walk in the streets of NYC without feeling fear after the incident.

“So yes, in the beginning, it was very hard to feel this way, especially about being beaten — it was crazy, I was beaten, it was wild — but now I’m in a place where I just want them to get the help and support they need in order for them not to do that to anybody else again.”

After therapy and a lot of time, he’s accepted what happened and found peace with the situation.

“I got one of those Birdie [personal safety] alarms so that I could pull it and it makes a loud sound. It was a little scary for a while,” he says,

“but I was able to do work, do some therapy and use this amazing app called Innerworld in order to process all the trauma … and I feel wonderful again and safe in the streets of New York once again, which I’m grateful about, but yeah, it was definitely a scary moment.”