Ariana Grande speaks out for first time after announcing break from public eye amid 'ongoing public scrutiny'
Ariana Grande has spoken out for the first time since it was announced she’d be ‘taking a step back’ from the public eye amid ‘endless ongoing public scrutiny’.
On Sunday, a rep for the star revealed that Grande, 33, would be taking a ‘much-deserved break’ following the conclusion of her Eternal Sunshine Tour in London next month.
“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” the rep told PEOPLE.
“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.”
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Last night, Grande took to the stage for the first of three performances at Chicago’s United Center, where she took time to address her upcoming break.
“So basically, the announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” she said in a clip shared on X.
“It is something that I had decided to plan that I had quietly made a long time ago and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place. And I want you to know many things can be true at the same time."
Grande then attempted to set the record straight on a few things.
“I heard that my fans were worried that negativity was ruining things for me, but I just have to say that could not be more the f**k opposite," she said to loud applause and cheers.
"Honestly, this is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear: multiple things can be true at the same time. Yes, boundaries, they need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes. And also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life.
“No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or elaborate to me than this love that we share.
“The rest of that s**t is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it. I need to get out here and differentiate that from my truth for you all because I love you and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.”
Grande’s decision to take a break comes just days after the singer released her eighth album Petal and also dropped the music video for her new track of the same name.
The video, which kicks off with 'graphic violence' warning, sees Grande playing a character called Pepper, who goes through a series of gruelling Hollywood auditions and facing rounds of rejections and nasty comments before eventually snapping and brutally butchering the execs with a chainsaw.
However, the new video renewed the discourse surrounding Grande’s body and health, with Jameela Jamil taking aim at the singer’s team.
Grande was set to appear in a West End show
With the news of her impending break released on Sunday, it has since been revealed that Grande had pulled out of the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, where she was set to appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.
The show is set to open in the Barbican next summer.
Empire Street Productions, which is behind the musical, said in a statement: “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.
“We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support.
"We wish her nothing but the best. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.”
Grande was just 16 when she shot to fame playing Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon show Victorious and she has been in the public eye ever since.
After leaving Nickelodeon, she carved out a very impressive music career, winning three Grammy awards.
She then returned to acting playing Glinda the good, in Wicked opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba.
Her performance in the flick earned Grande an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Topics: Ariana Grande
Claire Reid