Ariana Grande tells Chicago crowd her public retreat was planned 'a long time ago', not a reaction to scrutiny

Ariana Grande addressed her decision to step back from public life directly with fans during the first of three concerts at Chicago's United Center on Monday night. The 33-year-old singer and actor read from prepared notes, telling the audience that the announcement made by her spokesperson a day earlier was not a reaction to recent online discourse about her appearance.

The on-stage explanation

Grande framed the choice as one she had made quietly and deliberately. "The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing," she said. "It is something that I had decided to plan quietly, a long time ago." She described the decision as coming from a "thoughtful and empowered place" and stressed that negative commentary had not spoiled anything for her. "I heard my fans were worried negativity was ruining things for me but that could not be more than the opposite," she said.

“Boundaries need to be set, human beings do need a break sometimes.”

She called the ongoing Eternal Sunshine Tour "one of the most healing, beautiful, correct and special experiences" of her life. The tour concludes with a 10-night residency at London's O2 Arena from 15 August to 1 September.

The spokesperson's statement

On Sunday, a representative for Grande told People magazine that the singer would take "a step back from visibility" after the tour, citing "endless, ongoing public scrutiny." The representative said Grande looked forward to finishing the tour "on a high note, both healthily and happily" and then taking a well-earned break from work and public appearances.

Withdrawal from West End musical

The planned retreat includes Grande's withdrawal from a production of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George at London's Barbican Theatre, scheduled for summer 2027. She had been set to appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey. Producers confirmed her departure in a statement on X, saying they respected the decision and that the show would proceed with a new cast to be announced in due course.

Years of scrutiny over appearance

Grande has faced persistent public commentary about her weight and health for several years. In 2023, she posted a video urging fans to be "gentler and less comfortable commenting on people's bodies." The conversation intensified again last week after the release of the video for Petal, the lead single from her eighth studio album. When shared on Instagram, the video received a community note directing eating disorder sufferers toward resources. Lucy Bennett, a researcher who studies music fandom, told The New York Times that while much of the discourse stems from concern, "perhaps the collective effect has been overwhelming for her and has overtaken the discussion of the music."

“No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality, or be more real to me than this love that we share.”

What comes next

Before the break begins, Grande has two more Chicago shows and the 10 London dates remaining. She is also set to appear on screen in the comedy Focker-In-Law, the fourth installment of the Meet the Parents franchise, alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, expected in cinemas this November. Her representatives declined to comment further on the timeline or nature of the break beyond the tour's conclusion.