Ariana Grande has pulled out of a major London stage production and will step back from public-facing work once her world tour ends, her team announced on Sunday, days after renewed online scrutiny over her appearance following the release of a new music video.
The 33-year-old singer was due to star opposite her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in a Barbican production of Sunday in the Park with George, Stephen Sondheim's 1984 musical about the 19th-century French painter Georges Seurat. A spokesperson told People magazine that Grande would be "taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour," adding that she was looking forward to "a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny."
Petal video sparks backlash
The announcement came two days after Grande performed at Montreal's Bell Centre on Friday, the latest stop on her Eternal Sunshine Tour. Hours before that show, the music video for her new single Petal was released, its closing scene showing her attacking a group of dismissive male music executives with a chainsaw before ending up drenched in blood.
The video quickly racked up millions of views, but reaction focused largely on Grande's slender physique rather than its content. "At this point, I'm judging her team, friends and family," one viewer wrote, in a comment liked by 62,000 people. Another wrote: "She is surrounded by enablers."
On Instagram, where Grande has 363 million followers, several recently posted photos were flagged with community notes warning about eating disorders and urging anyone struggling to seek help. British actress and activist Jameela Jamil, who has spoken publicly about her own past eating disorder, said Grande was "possibly dying in front of us" and questioned why her team had released such a "damaging image for young fans." Jamil later deleted the comment but said: "My point stands. This is deeply irresponsible."
Barbican left in 'terrible mess'
Grande's casting alongside Bailey had been seen as a coup for producers Empire Street Productions and the Barbican. The pair previously starred together in the two Wicked films, which grossed more than $750 million at the box office and earned ten Oscar nominations, including one for Grande for best supporting actress.
But the production company was told of her withdrawal less than an hour before her team's statement was made public, forcing the Barbican to react quickly. A source connected to the production told the Daily Mail the decision was "mind-bending," adding: "It all unfolded rapidly after the release of her music video sparked more backlash about her appearance."
The source said there had been "ongoing discussions" about the production because of online chatter surrounding Grande, but that she had remained excited to do the show, with rehearsals not due to begin until 2027. The Barbican was informed at 8pm on Sunday, the source said, calling it "all very sudden" and leaving the venue "in a terrible mess." They described it as the Barbican's most expensive theatrical project ever, said everyone involved was "absolutely gutted," and noted that promotional plans, including magazine covers, had already been lined up. "But in any theatre production, you have to consider something like this could happen," the source said.
Bailey, 38, best known for playing Anthony Bridgerton in the Netflix series Bridgerton, is believed to remain "committed to the show" in the title role. "He was always the key player in this: Ariana wanted the role of Dot alongside him," the source said, adding that the pair had become "incredibly close" and that it "wouldn't surprise me if Jonathan had found out before the Barbican did." Publicly, the show's producers said: "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 is still expected to open next summer, with tickets going on sale next month.
Tour set to continue
Grande was due to perform at Chicago's United Center, the first of three shows there, before travelling to London's O2 Arena for the tour's final ten dates, running from 15 August to 1 September.
Despite online rumours that she might cancel her British dates, sources close to the singer told the Daily Mail there were no plans to do so, though they were preparing for "intense scrutiny on the tour." Industry insiders noted that cancelling the remaining shows would cost Grande significant revenue while leaving her facing high costs. Grande wrote online: "See you tonight, Chicago." She is also due to promote her new film Focker-In-Law, in which she appears alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in the latest instalment of the Meet the Fockers series, due for release on 25 November.
Years of scrutiny over her appearance
Speculation about Grande's weight has followed her for years, though she has always maintained she is healthy and has never directly addressed her weight loss. In April 2023, she addressed the speculation on TikTok, saying: "I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people's bodies," and that it was hard "to be paid this close attention to." She said that in earlier photos, which some had held up as her "healthy" self, she had actually been "on a lot of antidepressants, and drinking on them, and eating poorly."
The following year, in her song Yes, And?, she sang: "Don't comment on my body, do not reply. Your business is yours and mine is mine. Why do you care so much." During the press tour for Wicked, she said: "I've been doing this in front of the public and been a specimen in a petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17."
A decade of personal tragedy
Grande's adult life has been marked by a string of difficult events. In 2017, her Manchester Arena concert was targeted in a terrorist bombing carried out by Salman Abedi, a Briton of Libyan descent, who killed 22 people, many of them children, and injured more than 1,000 others. Grande said she was "broken" at the time and later described symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, saying a year on: "People are permanently affected by this stuff. It changes everything." Many lesser artists might have stepped back at that point, but Grande, who is estimated to be worth around £200 million, went on to organise the One Love Manchester benefit concert for victims and their families.
In 2018, her former boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, who had also found fame as a teenager, died from an accidental drug overdose aged 26. The pair had dated for almost two years after meeting when Grande was 19, splitting four months before his death. "I can't believe you're not here any more," she wrote at the time. "I don't know what to do. You were my dearest friend." She later described her grief as "pretty all-consuming."
Relationships and a thriving career
Grande went on to have a brief engagement to actor and comedian Pete Davidson, who gave her a $93,000 engagement ring; the couple even bought a pet pig together before splitting after five months. She married real estate agent Dalton Gomez in 2021, with their divorce finalised three years later. She also had a near three-year relationship with actor Ethan Slater, whom she met while filming Wicked, before the couple split this summer.
Her career has continued to flourish throughout. Grande's 2013 debut album, Yours Truly, was followed by the global hits Dangerous Woman and Thank U, Next, before she returned to acting with Wicked in 2024 alongside British co-star Cynthia Erivo. In January, she told Vogue Japan that a career break "would be healthy," adding: "These past few years have been pretty non-stop. And by few, I mean 15."
