Ariana Grande to take ‘a step back’ from public life due to ‘endless, ongoing scrutiny’

Ariana Grande has announced plans to take a break from public-facing work after her tour ends due to “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. She is pulling out of the upcoming London revival of Sunday in the Park With George.The pop singer was due to appear opposite her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s critically acclaimed musical at the Barbican in 2027.A representative for Grande told People: “Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.“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.“This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”Sunday in the Park With George will go ahead as planned and Grande’s part will be recast, the production company Empire Street Productions said.A statement to the Press Association said: “Empire Street Productions have said 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.”The musical, created by Sondheim and James Lapine, debuted on Broadway in 1984 starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters.The show is inspired by the Georges Seurat painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and follows Seurat as he tries to complete the portrait, exploring his relationship with his lover and muse, Dot.Grande’s announcement came days after she released the music video for Petal, the title single from her newly released eighth studio album, which sparked speculation about her weight loss and her health.One of her new songs, Like I Do, includes a possible dig at years of headlines about her weight: “I’ve got shit to talk, keeps me well fed.”Grande became emotional during a 2024 interview when asked by a journalist how she handled the pressure “to always look perfect”.She described herself as being “a specimen in a petri dish since I was 16 or 17. I have heard it all. I have heard every form of what is wrong with me. And then you fix it and then it is wrong for different reasons.”She added: “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.” Comments about weight could be “uncomfortable” and “horrible”, she said.“From what you are wearing, to your body, to your face, to your everything – there is a comfortability that People have commenting on that that I think is really dangerous. I think it is dangerous for all parties involved.”Grande shared the interview again on her social media in November, “as a loving reminder to all”.The Eternal Sunshine Tour will arrive in the UK in August, with a 10-night residency at the O2. Her final London show on 1 September will mark the end of the tour.Grande has won three Grammy awards in a music career that took off in 2013 after the release of her debut album, Yours Truly.She found fame playing Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon television shows Victorious and Sam + Cat.She was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Glinda in the big-screen adaptation of Wicked.Press Association contributed to this report