Aretha Franklin’s family is not happy with Rev. Jasper Williams Jr.’s eulogy, which one member called “offensive and distasteful.” 

Jasper used his platform to criticize black Americans, rather than speaking on the life of Aretha. His most contentious claim was that single mothers cannot “raise a black boy to become a man.” He even called a household without a father an “abortion after birth.”

Aretha’s nephew, Vaughn Franklin, said to People magazine: “We found the comments to be offensive and distasteful. Rev. Jasper Williams spent more than 50 minutes speaking and at no time did he properly eulogize her.”

“My aunt did not ask Rev. Jasper Williams, Jr. to eulogize her before she passed away because dying is a topic that she never discussed with anyone,” the statement continued. “Our family asked Rev. Jasper Williams, Jr. to perform the eulogy because he eulogized our grandfather (Rev. C. L. Franklin), my aunt (Erma Franklin) and my uncle (Cecil Franklin). However, there were several people that my aunt admired that would have been outstanding individuals to deliver her eulogy including Dr. William J. Barber, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Rev. James Holley and Pastor E.L. Branch.”