TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Grammy-winning singer and actress Ariana Grande is reportedly planning to step back from public eye after the conclusion of her latest tour, “The Eternal Sunshine Tour.”
According to People on Sunday, August 2, Grande’s representative said the singer “will be taking a step back from visibility” after her tour completes in London on September 1.
Her team cites “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” surrounding her health and body fueling Ariana Grande’s decision.
“This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much,” the statement read.
Ariana Grande Exits West End Production
Ariana’s withdrawal from public eye means she will no longer star at the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Sunday in the Park with George.”
Directed by Marianne Elliott, Ariana was supposed to reunite with her “Wicked” co-star Jonathan Bailey in the production, with the opening set for summer 2027 at the Barbican in London.
Ariana’s exit was confirmed by the production company Empire Street Productions, which stated that it could “confirm that [Ariana Grande] has decided to step back” from the stage production.
The production company also said in a statement that that “Sunday in the Park with George” will proceed as planned and that “casting will be announced in due course,” as quoted from The Guardian.
“We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, a source close to Ariana told ABC News that she’s disappointed to leave the production but “cannot wait to support the brilliant team” behind the project.
The original musical was created by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, debuting on Broadway in 1948. The show was inspired by the Georges Seurat painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” and the story follows Seurat as he tries to complete the portrait, exploring his relationship with his lover and muse, Dot.
Public Discourse on Ariana Grande’s Health
The announcement of Ariana stepping away from public and her exit from the Sondheim revival came just days after she released the music video for “Petal,” the title single from her eight studio album with the same name.
The music video invited scrutiny about her physical health and appearance. While Ariana largely kept quiet about the speculation, she previously spoke out about the conversations surrounding her weight.
In a podcast interview in 2024, the “Positions” singer said she felt like “a specimen in a petri dish” since she was 16 years old.
“It is hard to protect yourself from that noise. I think that it’s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on,” she said at the time, adding that commenting on people’s body “is dangeroud for all parties involved.”
Her latest album, “Petal,” explores the theme of “something that is full of life and growing through the cracks of something cold and hard and challenging.”
One of the songs, “Like I Do,” alludes to years of scrutiny about her weight: “I’ve got shit to talk, keeps me well fed.”
Ariana Grande’s Next Public Appearances
As the tour set to wrap up in September, Ariana will have a 10-night residency at London’s O2 Arena after she concludes the North American leg of the tour on August 6.
She already canceled her appearance in season 13 of “American Horror Story” due to scheduling conflict with the recent tour, which kicked off on June 6 in Oakland, California.
Meanwhile, on the big screen, Ariana will next return in the comedy “Focker-in-Law,” the latest installment in the Meet the Parents franchise, which also stars Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on November 25, just before Thanksgiving.
The promotional campaign of the movie likely demands many public appearances from Ariana Grande. Variety reported that Universal did not comment on whether the singer’s plan to step back from the public will interfere with the press tour.
Read: Ariana Grande Announces ‘Petal’ Album for July 31 Release
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