Ariana Grande to step back from public appearances after ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour amid health scrutiny

WASHINGTON: Grammy-winning singer Ariana Grande will step away from the public eye after wrapping up her Eternal Sunshine tour next month, with her representative saying the singer is taking a “much-deserved break” following months of intense public scrutiny over her health, according to E! News.

“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour”, Grande’s representative told E! News in a statement. “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 41-stop Eternal Sunshine tour began in June in Oakland, California, and is scheduled to conclude on September 1 in London. Calling the tour “a beautiful experience,” Grande’s representative added, “She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much,” according to E! News.

According to a source close to the singer, Grande delivers a physically demanding performance every night. “She performs a very physical show,” the source said, adding that the singer “performs healthily and successfully at a very high level night after night,” noting that “there is a lot of athleticism involved.”

Ariana Grande’s rep says the star is taking an extended break from the spotlight due to “ongoing public scrutiny”:

“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… pic.twitter.com/WW4M1CPoQk

— Variety (@Variety) August 2, 2026

The source also confirmed that Grande will no longer appear in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George next summer, where she had been expected to reunite with her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.

While Grande will not be part of the production, the source said she “cannot wait to support the brilliant team bringing this project to life.”

The announcement comes just days after the release of Grande’s eighth studio album, Petal, along with the music video for its title track. The singer’s appearance in the video sparked renewed discussion on social media about her health.

Addressing the album’s themes, a source close to Grande said, “Petal is a fight song, an anthem about the love-hate relationship with the public and their toxicity.” The source also clarified that the album is “not about any romantic partner or breakup in that way.”

Grande has previously spoken about the impact of constant public scrutiny on her appearance. “I’ve been doing this in front of the public, and kind of been a specimen in a petri-dish since I was 16 or 17,” she said during a December 2024 interview. “So I have heard it all. I’ve heard every version of it, of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons.”

“It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise,” she added. “And I think it’s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on.”

Speaking about Petal in an Apple Music clip posted on July 29, Grande said the record reflects a different side of her creativity. “It pulls from many different parts of myself and yet, at the same time, it is very experimental and different for me,” she said, according to E! News, adding, “I wrote from a place that I don’t usually, which was like an unfiltered rage that I think we all feel sometimes.” (ANI)