Ariana Grande Announces Upcoming Hiatus After Eternal Sunshine Tour

After months in the public eye, Grande is preparing to close one chapter and disappear from view for a while. Her team says the break is about protecting her health and peace of mind after relentless scrutiny of her looks.

Ariana Grande is taking a step back. The singer-songwriter and actress announced in a statement that she will be going on hiatus following the end of her Eternal Sunshine tour next month. The tour will conclude with a final performance in London on September 1.

"Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour," a representative for the "Wicked" alum stated.

"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 rep continued.

"This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much," the statement read.

A source close to Grande also added, "She performs a very physical show, and there is a lot of athleticism involved. She performs healthily and successfully at a very high level night after night."

Grande's planned retreat from the spotlight comes after her physical appearance in her new "Petal" music video sparked widespread concern. In the clip, released Friday, July 31, Grande plays a woman auditioning before a panel of men in an office, dressed in a 1950s-inspired outfit.

The look features a sleeveless mustard-yellow top paired with a light, floral-patterned white and cream midi skirt. She carries a white handbag and wears matching pale-yellow pointed-toe pumps.

After being rejected by the panel, her character returns to try again, this time in a bolder outfit with a bolder performance. She's dressed in an all-black ensemble, including a short-sleeve, chest-baring top paired with black ankle-length trousers.

She rounds out the look with pointed black heels, a black leather jacket, and dark sunglasses pushed up into her hair. The pattern repeats throughout the video until her character finally snaps near the end, turning on the panel of judges in a bloody finale.

The visuals were clearly meant to carry a deeper message, but many viewers were far more fixated on the noticeable weight loss the "Thank You, Next" artist appeared to have undergone. Even so, plenty of fans rushed to her defense.

"I wish people would stop commenting on her appearance. Do you listen to her lyrics and watch her video?? Be kind 💜," one person commented. Another said, "We do not know what someone is going through ❤️."

A third chimed in, "Anyone with anything to say should shut their broke [expletive] up. Until you have reached her heights and Fame just know you're a fan. Take a seat."

Someone else argued, "If she wants to be skinny then that's her business. If she is dealing with something that is making her skinny, that's still her business. Why can't people just worry about themselves."

Still, a considerable number of viewers pushed back on accusations of body-shaming, insisting there's a difference between judging the singer's body and voicing real concern for her well-being.

"It's not about wanting the old Ariana back. It's about wanting her to be healthy," one fan wrote under the music video. "I couldn't finish. This is so heartbreaking. I am praying for her health," another cried.

A third added, "Seeing the state of her in the second fit was frightening."

Grande has addressed this kind of scrutiny before. Back in 2024, the singer grew emotional when a reporter asked how she copes with the "overwhelming" pressure women feel "to always look perfect."

"I think that it's something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you're experiencing it on," she said at the time. Grande noted that comments about a person's weight can feel "uncomfortable" and "horrible."

"Even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner, and someone's granny says, 'Oh my God, you look skinnier! What happened?' or 'You look heavier! What happened?'" she continued.

"I think in today's society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn't have at all — commenting on others' looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves," she said.

"From what you're wearing to your body to your face to your everything — there's a comfortability that people have commenting on that that I think is really dangerous."