Frankie Grande, the 43-year-old actor and brother of pop star Ariana Grande, posted a series of shirtless and fully nude selfies to Instagram on Monday, days after a representative announced his sister would step back from public life once her current tour ends.
Frankie shared the images in an Instagram photo dump that included several shirtless snaps and a photo taken on a gym bench press, showing off his physique.
Ariana's planned break
On Sunday, two days after Ariana, 33, released her new album and a music video for her song "Petal," a representative told People magazine that Ariana would be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour. The representative said 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 Petal video raised alarm among fans after Ariana appeared onscreen with her sternum visible, fueling concern over her thin frame. The song's lyrics touch on the pressures of fame, including the lines: "Tell me who's to blame, is it the people or myself? / But this time feels so very different / This is not a cry for help."
Exit from West End show
The news of Ariana's planned break came alongside reports that she will no longer join her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in the London musical Sunday in the Park with George next year.
Ariana addressed the situation from the stage during her Monday night concert in Chicago, telling fans the pause had been "quietly" arranged "a long time ago" and was not a response to negativity ruining things for her. She said "multiple things can be true at the same time," adding: "Yes, boundaries, they need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes." She said her tour, which began in North America in June and will close with ten London dates in September, "will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life."
Tour plans and past comments
In November 2025, Ariana appeared on the "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" podcast and said the tour would be her last for the foreseeable future, explaining that her pop career had "taken over" her life and that she planned to prioritize other passions. She told Poehler she felt more connected to herself and her art since branching into different projects, having grown up loving musical theatre and comedy before spending years focused only on pop music.
Ariana said she would "give it her all" on the tour, calling it "one last hurrah" before stepping back from international performing. "I'm very excited to do this small tour. But I think it might not happen again for a long, long, long, long time," she said. "I'm going to give it my all, and it's going to be beautiful, and I'm so grateful."
Family support
Frankie and Ariana's mother, 69-year-old Joan Grande, appeared in Frankie's Instagram post on Monday, which he captioned "July was hot." Despite the concern over the Petal video, Joan wrote in the comments of Ariana's behind-the-scenes Instagram post: "You are magnificent... and this video is incredible!! I love it and I love you more!!!"
Ariana previously addressed scrutiny of her body in an April 2023 TikTok video, asking fans to be "gentler and less comfortable" about commenting on people's bodies. She said fans were comparing her current body to what she called "the unhealthiest version of my body," a period when she was on antidepressants, drinking while taking them, eating poorly and at the lowest point of her life. She said an openness about it might do some good, and added: "You never know what someone is going through... So be gentle with each other and with yourselves."
