Ariana Grande is planning to take a step back from the public eye after the Eternal Sunshine Tour wraps, including dropping out of Sunday in the Park with George.
This decision comes after the Grammy-winning singer has faced a wave of online commentary surrounding her health and body over the last year. Most recently, discussions intensified after the release of her new music video for her song “Petal,” with many fans pointing out her noticeably thinner appearance in the footage.
“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” her rep shared in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday. Her tour concludes on Sept. 1 after her 10-show residency in London.
“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the rep added. “This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
Grande has been booked and busy the last few years, filming Wicked and Wicked: For Good, which released in 2024 and 2025, respectively. She had also been campaigning for awards for both films, ultimately earning a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as Glinda in the first film.
On the music side, she dropped her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, in 2024, before heading out on a 3-month-long tour starting in June. She also just released her eighth studio album, Petal, at the end of July.
A source close to the singer also told THR that her new album is “a fight song.” They added that it’s an “anthem about the love-hate relationship with the public and their toxicity. This album is not about any romantic partner or breakup in that way.”
Grande next stars in Focker-in-Law, opposite Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, which hits theaters on Nov. 25. It’s unclear if Grande plans to participate in the film’s upcoming press tour.
The “hate that i made you love me” singer was also set to appear, opposite her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey, in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. However, THR confirmed Grande will no longer be participating in the project, which opens at London’s Barbican Centre next summer. The production will cast another lead to replace Grande.
“Following this evening’s announcement from Ariana Grande’s team, we can confirm that she has decided to step back from Sunday in the Park with George,” Empire Street Productions shared in a statement. “We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.”
Caitlin Huston contributed to this report.
