Ariana Grande plans to withdraw from public life after completing her current concert tour, her representative told People magazine, citing “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” that has followed her public appearances. The 33-year-old singer and actress will take “a step back from visibility” once the Eternal Sunshine Tour concludes in London on 1 September, the representative said. Grande also confirmed she will no longer appear in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George,” which had been scheduled to open at the Barbican Centre in summer 2027. The production company, Empire Street Productions, said in a statement that it understood the decision and supported it, adding that the show would proceed as planned with casting to be announced later.

Grande’s representative said she looks forward to finishing the tour “healthily and happily” before taking a break from public-facing work. A source close to the singer told People that Grande performs a physically demanding show and does so “healthily and successfully at a very high level night after night.” The same source, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, described her new album “Petal” as “a fight song and an anthem about the love-hate relationship with the public and their toxicity,” adding that it is not about a romantic partner or breakup.

The decision follows renewed public discussion about Grande’s physical appearance and health, which intensified after the release of the music video for “Petal” on 31 July. In the video, Grande plays an aspiring performer repeatedly rejected by male judges who criticise her appearance and accuse her of having had too much cosmetic surgery. British model and body-acceptance activist Charlotte Howard wrote on social media that she saw “someone in desperate need of hospitalisation and care” and called for immediate intervention. Grande has previously addressed body commentary directly, including in her 2024 song “Yes, And?” in which she sings, “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply.” In a 2023 TikTok video, she asked followers to be gentle with one another, saying “you never know what someone is going through.”

Grande’s tour, which began on 6 June in Oakland, California, includes remaining dates in Chicago and a ten-night residency at London’s O2 Arena. She is next scheduled to appear in the film “Focker-in-Law,” the latest instalment of the “Meet the Parents” franchise, due for release on 25 November. No return date for public appearances has been announced, and her representative has not specified whether she will promote the film.