Ariana Grande is finally set to take a break from the public eye, after years of promoting her two “Wicked” films, releasing new music, launching her latest tour and facing mounting scrutiny over her appearance.
A representative for the Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated star on Sunday announced Grande’s upcoming “step back from visibility” in a statement shared with multiple outlets. Grande, the rep said, will retreat after the sun sets on her Eternal Sunshine tour Sept. 1. “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily,” the statement said.
Grande will then take “a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.” The statement did not delve any deeper about any controversies surrounding Grande, 33, but fans and critics of the singer have voiced continued concern online about her appearance and apparent weight loss since her debut as Glinda in 2024’s “Wicked: Part 1.” The scrutiny over Grande’s body, and that of her co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh, intensified in 2025 amid the press tour and promotion for “Wicked: Part 2.”
Grande faced fresh bouts of body criticism and concern amid the launch of her Eternal Sunshine tour in Oakland earlier this summer, and most recently, after the release of her “Petal” music video over the weekend. Additionally, tabloids and other outlets have kept close tabs on her romantic relationships, including her reunions with ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, following a reported split with “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater.
“This tour has been a beautiful experience for her,” the rep said in the statement. “She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
A source told People, which broke the news of Grande’s plans to step back, that the singer “performs a very physical show, and there is a lot of athleticism involved.” The source added that the singer “performs healthily and successfully at a very high level night after night.”
While Grande seeks to close out her Eternal Sunshine tour with a sold-out show in London, she has already pulled the plug on her upcoming performances in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George” opposite her “Wicked” love interest Jonathan Bailey. The production was set to open at the Barbican Centre in London next summer.
Producers for the show confirmed Grande’s exit on social media, also writing, “we know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support.”
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