Ariana

A TV boss has broken his silence on Ariana Grande quitting a hit drama show – after revealing her plan to step back from public life.

Ariana was originally annouced to be on series 13 of American Horror Story but she later exited the project to prioritise her Eternal Sunshine tour.

This comes at the same time she revealed she would be stepping back from fame at the end of her tour.

The AHS creator, Ryan Murphy, has now discussed her exit and told The Hollywood Reporter: “I love Ariana Grande. We’re great friends.

“I had an idea and I came to her and she, very immediately, said, ‘I’m not sure because I think I’m going on tour.

“I don’t think the tour had been announced, and she had obviously just finished the Wicked movie.”

WICK-ED WEB

Why Bradley’s new romance could prove VERY awkward for Olivia’s man Pete Wicks

BOMBSHELL BATTLE

How Baywatch’s Brooks Nader is on ‘mission’ to eclipse Sydney Sweeney

Ryan also revealed that he welcomed the star to appear in another season which she gladly accepted.

He added: “You have to be respectful. Who is busier than Ariana Grande? No one. She had told me at the time, ‘I have this album that’s dropping.’ It was really, truly a scheduling conflict.”

Ryan also revealed that Ariana is a big fan of horror and did Scream Queens for him and explained that he would always want to work with her.

He said: “I love her, and I support her. It was a very big swing, but I might bring that back for another season, per Ariana’s availability. I think the world of her.”

Last week, a rep for Ariana shocked fans by releasing a statement confirming she was stepping back from public life.

The announcement followed her pulling out of the starring role in a West End adaptation of Sunday In The Park With George, alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.

A representative had told People Magazine: “Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.”

However, Ariana has one last surprise in store for fans as she prepares to kick off her ten-date residency at the O2 Arena next weekend.

We were told the Thank U Next singer will film the London shows for a concert special, to be released at a later date.

It’s due to spark a bidding war with streaming giants battling it out for the rights.

Ariana’s last album, Eternal Sunshine, was born out of heartbreak and written as her marriage to American estate agent Dalton Gomez broke down.

Following the split from Wicked co-star Ethan in June after three years, Ariana has headed back to familiar ground and is dating her ex, dancer Ricky Alvarez.

AS she returns to the UK stage for the first time in years, we reveal how heartache has left its mark on Ariana Grande.

She is the quintessential pop princess.

But away from the bright lights of fame, Ariana Grande has had to overcome more serious challenges than any of her contemporaries.

And while it is Taylor Swift who is known for her defining “eras”, Ariana has done some major reinvention of her own.

As she arrives at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday for a 10-night stint of her The Eternal Sunshine Tour – her first in seven years – it will be a very different woman to the one who last performed in the capital.

An insider reveals: “Her tour might be called Eternal Sunshine, but there’s no doubt she’s battled some really dark days and dealt with more tragedy than most her age. Perhaps most impressively, she keeps going, whether it’s movies, music or her search for true love.”

Fresh from her gruelling two-movie Wicked filming schedule and press tour, which took over her life for the best part of three years, Ariana, 33, is back doing what her fans love most – being a pop star.

Her tour sold out in 15 minutes, with more than 2 million people trying to buy tickets when they were released in September.

Her big UK comeback coincides with a time of emotional turmoil for the star, though.

In June, following weeks of speculation, it was confirmed she had split from Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, who played munchkin Boq alongside her “good” witch Glinda, after three years together.

While it was claimed they are still friends, those who know the singer have said there is “deep sadness” for Ariana surrounding the split.

The pair’s relationship had caused huge controversy after Ethan left his wife, childhood sweetheart Lilly Jay, for Ariana in 2023, shortly after the birth of the couple’s son.

He had fallen for her during filming, and the outcry threatened to overshadow promo for the first Wicked film.

“The whole thing was a major strain,” the source says. “Ariana has been desperate to put all of it behind her.”

The split was the latest blow for the star, who pursued fame from a young age.

Born in Florida in 1993 to parents Joan Grande and Edward Butera, she landed her first role in a Broadway show aged just 15.

Her major break came a year later, when she was cast as the bubbly Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon hit series Victorious, turning her into a household name.

But it was her extraordinary four-octave vocal range that truly set her apart from her contemporaries, and by her early 20s Ariana had made the leap from TV favourite to global superstar, topping charts around the world with singles such as Right There and The Way.

Meanwhile, her love life was rarely out of the headlines.

She enjoyed romances with rappers Big Sean and Mac Miller, not to mention her infamous engagement to comedian Pete Davidson (Ariana broke the internet when she commented that Pete had “big d**k energy”), as well as a short-lived marriage to luxury real-estate agent Dalton Gomez, which ended months before news emerged of her relationship with Ethan.

It was Mac Miller who supported her through one of the most difficult times of her life.

In May 2017, 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured when a terrorist attack took place at her Manchester Arena concert.

The bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack in the UK since the 2005 London bombings, and it deeply affected everyone who survived it – as well as those close to the victims.

Ariana developed PTSD in the aftermath, and then-boyfriend Mac dropped everything to help her through it.

A year later, however, further tragedy struck when the rapper, who by then had split from Ariana, died after an accidental drug overdose.

After so much grief in such a short space of time, the star revealed it was her music that helped her to cope.

“I was doing so much therapy, and I was dealing with PTSD and all different kinds of grief and depression and anxiety,” she told The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast, Awards Chatter.

“I was, of course, treating it very seriously, but having music be a part of that remedy was absolutely contributing to saving my life.”

While Ariana’s fans are delighted that she’s made a return to touring – and there are a lot, with 363 million followers on Instagram alone – her tour dates have not resulted in the celebration she may have hoped for.

Concerns have been raised about her dramatic weight loss in recent years, exacerbated by her return to the stage.

One commenter wrote: “Objectively speaking, Ariana Grande is dangerously underweight.” Another added: “She needs help.”

It’s undeniable that Ariana is much smaller than she once was.

The singer was forced to comment about her size when speculation reached fever pitch during Wicked promotional interviews.

Both she and co-star Cynthia Erivo were subjected to relentless chatter about their thinness.

During an interview to promote the first film, Ariana was asked how she copes with exacting beauty standards for women and the “overwhelming” pressure they feel to always look perfect.

It was a question that elicited an emotional response. Holding back tears, Ariana replied: ”Good question,” before describing the pressures of growing up famous.

“I’ve been doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17 years old, 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.”

She then went on to condemn the narrative, adding: “I think in today’s society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all [with] commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves.

“There’s a comfortability that people have commenting on that, that I think is really dangerous – and I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved.”

Those who know Ariana best are understandably protective of the singer, who is repeatedly described as “sensitive” and “vulnerable” behind the scenes, but also praised for her incredible professional commitment.

She is said to be “laser-focused” when it comes to work. The various trials and tribulations life has thrown at her, they say, have left her “damaged, but determined to grow and make a difference with her music and performances”.

It was bagging the role of Glinda, says one insider, that changed the course of Ariana’s life forever.

“This is a role she had wanted to play since she was a child, and Ariana gave it everything. It pushed her on, and she’s never looked back – it definitely raised the bar when it came to her career. It took everything out of the cast, though, as they cared so much.”

Friends and co-stars of Ariana all say the same – that she is uniquely kind and loving.

The Sun’s Associate Bizarre Editor Howell Davies recalls meeting her in the aftermath of the Manchester bombings, and her One Love Manchester concert to honour those who’d lost their lives.

He says: “I had been a massive fan of Ariana for years and was meant to go to the Dangerous Woman Tour in London in 2017, which was cancelled after the Manchester bombing.

“A year later, she made a surprise performance at Coachella festival in Palm Springs. When I spotted her backstage with Mac, I told her how courageous I thought she had been. She was sweet and composed. It really felt like she had time for her fans and wanted to speak to me.”

It would be understandable if Ariana never wanted to sing again, but her return to pop has been important to her.

She told The New York Times: “There was something broken about my relationship to pop music that was healed recently through the time away.”

Now, she’s entering a new chapter – one she will certainly be hoping is less turbulent.

With the release of new album Petal, fans are enjoying her return to the pop princess we know and love – and with this latest tour, she’s giving everything to reconnect with them in person.

Music aside, Ariana is also taking on other exciting projects. She signed up for a comedy role in the latest Meet The Parents sequel Focker-In-Law, starring Robert De Niro (who sang her praises) and Ben Stiller, which is due for release in November.

And it looks like she’s already moving on from her break-up, after she was seen getting cosy with her ex-boyfriend, dancer Ricky Álvarez.

The pair, who dated for a year from 2015, were spotted having dinner in Texas together in June this year, and spent the Fourth of July together in Florida.

He also attended her New York concert date, and the insider says: “They are enjoying downtime together between shows.”

Ariana appeared to confirm the rekindling last month, while performing Thank U, Next in Brooklyn, after changing the lyrics to: “Wrote some songs about Ricky, we always find our way back,” and at another gig in Austin she sang: “He has still got her back”.

An insider says: “This is something of a ‘comfort rebound’ for Ariana, who is feeling vulnerable post her split from Ethan. Ricky definitely makes her feel safe. And more than anything, Ariana wants to be happy again. Settling down is what she has always been keen to do.”

There was, of course, set to be another string added to her bow, with her West End stage debut in London. Ariana and her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey were announced as the leads of Sunday In The Park With George, a musical by Pulitzer-Prize-winning Stephen Sondheim.

This was one of the most hotly anticipated theatre events of 2027 – but earlier this month Ariana pulled out, with the role now set to be recast.

In a statement, her team said: “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 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.

“This tour has been a beautiful experience for her.

“She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”

From the little girl in Florida who was musical-theatre-obsessed to the 33-year-old woman who has weathered storms with grace while working her behind off, Ariana has proven that she is a rare thing: a star who cares what people think of her.

ARIANA Grande stopped her concert in Chicago last night to address her fans following the news she’ll take a step back from public life after her current tour. 

The 33-year-old is halfway through her Eternal Sunshine world tour and her reps confirmed this week a “much-deserved” break when it wraps in September. 

During her show last night, Ariana read out a statement from her phone and said: “The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. 

“It is something that I had decided. It’s a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place, and I want you to know that many, many things can be true at the same time. 

“I want to share this because I heard that my fans were worried that negativity was ruining things for me.”

Ariana continued: “This is not what that is and I just want to make that very, very clear. Nothing can be ruined. 

GRANDE FINALE

Ariana Grande steps back from public life as fate of London shows revealed

TAKE A BREAK

Ariana Grande pulls out of UK shows as she ‘takes step back from public life’

“Multiple things can be true at the same time. Boundaries can need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes. 

“And also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life.”

Yesterday her reps said: “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 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.

“This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”

It has been confirmed Ariana will no longer star in the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George which was set to open next summer. 

And she will not appear on the red carpet with Robert De Niro and her other co-stars to promote their new movie Focker-in-Law.

The three-time Grammy winner’s decision to step back comes amid speculation and comments over her appearance, with one online activist claiming the singer was “possibly dying right in front of us”.

Ariana Grande delivered a four-minute speech to more than 20,000 of her fans in Chicago on Monday night amid reports that she’s stepping away from the public eye due to online scrutiny.

During the first of three sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center, the “Break Free” singer stopped the concert to address the widespread speculation surrounding her weekend announcement that she’d be stepping away from the public eye when her Eternal Sunshine tour concludes on Sept. 1.

Grande read the prepared statement from her phone, telling the audience that she didn’t want to get nervous and forget.

“Sometimes when a story comes out that’s not directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion,” she said. “So I just wanted to speak to my fans directly tonight because I love you so much.

“So basically, the announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something that I had decided. It’s a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place, and I want you to know that many, many things can be true at the same time. I want to share this because I heard that my fans were worried that negativity was ruining things for me, but I just have to say, that could not be more the f— opposite.

“This is not what that is and I just want to make that very, very clear. Nothing can be ruined. Multiple things can be true at the same time. Boundaries can need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes. And also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life.

“I have one more thing to say,” she continued. “No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me, or louder to to me, than this love that we share, or than how it feels to make art with the people that I love and respect. Absolutely nothing will change that or distort that for me. And I want you to know that. I love you, and this is what I will always take with me and carry with me because the rest of that s— is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it. I needed to get up here and differentiate that from my truth for you all, because I love you, and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience and so has putting out [the album] “Petal.” It’s been extraordinary.

“I wish that words were enough to articulate just how much I love you all.”

A representative for Grande on Sunday announced her upcoming hiatus in a statement shared with multiple outlets.

The announcement coincided with news that the Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated star would be dropping out of Stephen Sondheim’s West End revival of “Sunday in the Park With George,” in which she was set to star next summer opposite Jonathan Bailey.

Grande “looks forward to finishing [her current] tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily,” the statement said.

Grande will then take “a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.”

The announcement followed the Friday release of Grande’s eighth studio album, “Petal,” and the accompanying music video for the title track in which the pop star takes out a panel of her critics with a chainsaw. In response to the video, fans and foes alike flooded the comments section with remarks about Grande’s appearance and apparent weight loss.

The Times’ pop music critic Mikael Wood wrote of the album, “[T]he pop superstar opens the spigot on what she’s described as an ‘unfiltered rage’ to blast any number of feckless exes, a prying public obsessed with her body and her personal life — and not least herself for allowing anyone the power to hurt her in the first place.”

Who pissed off Ariana Grande? Well, who didn’t?

On her new album, “Petal,” the pop superstar opens the spigot on what she’s described as an “unfiltered rage” to blast any number of feckless exes, a prying public obsessed with her body and her personal life — and not least herself for allowing anyone the power to hurt her in the first place.

“Tell me who’s to blame — is it the people or myself?” she wonders against the icy synth stabs of the title track.

Her answer, delivered as a sneering little aside: “Yeah.”

“Petal” marks a dramatic shift from Grande’s previous LP, 2024’s “Eternal Sunshine,” a tender and melancholy electro-pop collection that laid out a kind of emotional philosophy of heartbreak. She recorded the new album with the same team — the hit-making writer-producers Ilya Salmanzadeh and Max Martin — but here they go for a murkier, more percussive sound to match Grande’s dark mood.

Tolling electric guitar accompanies her in “Freak” as she muses on “all of the life I’ve been denied,” while “Oh Well” puts a jittery U.K. garage beat under her sneering farewell to an unnamed antagonist: “Good luck on your way to hell.” In “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 when Grande released it as “Petal’s” lead single, she sings, “I’ve held your projections when you’ve felt so insecure,” over a trudging groove that moves like a funeral march.

These downcast observations arrive at what would seem to be a professional high point for Grande, who recently wrapped her extended stay in the “Wicked”-verse and who’s in the middle of a tour that’s drawn adoring fans to arenas across the country.

But perhaps that’s the point: Almost every song on “Petal” can be interpreted two ways — as a story about a broken relationship between two people or as a tale about the toxic connection between an idol and her audience. (More than once did this record make me think about Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department.”)

“My pain is music — do you hear me everywhere?” Grande asks in “Warning Signs (Interlude),” which climaxes with a pithy diagnosis of pop stardom in the parasocial age: “You don’t deserve me / You know you don’t, you never have / But I want you to feel me / I wish someone could hear me.”

Complaints about celebrity can be pretty tedious, of course; sometimes it feels as though famous pop singers have forgotten how to write about anything other than life in the social-media fishbowl.

Yet “Petal” gets some creative traction from how Grande chooses to use her voice; instead of belting, she rarely rises above a whisper, which gives a spooky, slightly creepy quality to her thoughts on being endlessly scrutinized. The airiness of her singing provides some comedy too in a hard-edged song such as “Like I Do,” where after noting that “all that s— talk keeps me well-fed,” she tells whoever needs to hear it, “No one f— you like I do.”

Having gotten all this off her chest, Grande finishes the album by allowing in some light: Over a zippy new wave arrangement, “Bad Thing (Bunny Hop)” ponders the renewing energy of a fresh romance — or maybe a rekindled old one — while the glistening “Nowhere, Nobody” has her taking deep breaths with a lover she’s convinced might finally give her what she needs.

“Convinced” is probably the wrong word.

“Hard to believe in a perfect ending,” she admits, “But that’s all right.”

Ariana Grande was announced for American Horror Story’s next all-star cast on Halloween 2025.

American Horror Story is coming very soon with fans desperate to know of Ariana Grande ’s involvement.

FX announced yesterday, Thursday, July 9, that American Horror Story would be returning for season 13, on Thursday, September 24, in the US with no fixed date yet on its UK debut.

But going by the last series, American Horror Story could very well land on Disney Plus also in September or early October.

Excitement has been building for the anthology drama’s return since Halloween last year when it was revealed that singer and Wicked star Ariana Grande was set to star.

At the time, she was confirmed alongside American Horror Story regulars such as Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd.

Will Ariana Grande star in American Horror Story season 13?

Unfortunately, Ariana Grande will no longer star in season 13 of American Horror Story, despite the initial casting announcement.

It has been reported that Ariana won’t make her debut because of conflicts with timing changes to the production dates of the horror series which are happening simultaneously with her Eternal Sunshine tour.

The 33-year-old hadn’t filmed any scenes for the new series with fans noticing her absence when the cast was previously spotted shooting exterior scenes.

Ariana rescheduled her Eternal Sunshine tour July concert dates at the end of June, shifting shows in Brooklyn and Boston to a couple of days later.

The star will continue her tour with upcoming stops including Canada, New York and London.

Unlike Ariana, previously announced stars Six Feet Under’s Frances Conroy and model Alex Consani were spotted shooting.

So far though, there has been no word on what American Horror Story season 13 will be about with details still under wraps.

American Horror Story is available to watch on Disney Plus.

ARIANA Grande has broken her silence after accidentally posting a photo of her bare boob on Instagram.

The We Can’t Be Friends hitmaker, 32, accidentally shared her entire bare breast with her 375 million Instagram followers earlier this week.

She uploaded an otherwise innocent photo of herself crouching down to pet a dog in an airport parking lot, as part of a photo dump.

But fans were quick to spot something about the photo that Ariana clearly overlooked.

As Ariana leaned forward to pet the dog, she rocked a red check dress with a gaping neckline.

Leaning forward, Ariana risked a major wardrobe malfunction as she revealed far more of her body than she intended.

Fans noticed the upload blunder almost instantly, with one person writing: “Uh Ariana Grande do you know you posted your boob on your Instagram?”

While someone else said: “Not Ariana accidentally posting a nip slip on Instagram.”

But Ariana did not delete the snap, instead she styled it out like the pro she is.

Taking to her Instagram stories after the dust had settled slightly, she shared a hilarious video that left fans in hysterics.

The video featured her friend Elizabeth Gillies.

In the clip, the duo can be seen in a fake party scenario.

Elizabeth is sipping champagne before casually saying to Ari: “You have great tits, they’re really beautiful.”

Ariana then replied: “Thank you.”

Fans were quick to flock to X to react to Ariana’s response.

“She’s so f**king funny omg,” said one person.

“Funny woman oh my god,” added a second.

While a third wrote: “Ariana omg.”

And a fourth said: “She really don’t give a f**k.”

Ariana Grande was crystal clear in the White House’s comments section on TikTok.

The “We Can’t Be Friends” hitmaker didn’t mince words on Thursday when she commented on a White House TikTok: “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F— ice,” she wrote in her comment.

The TikTok in question, posted by the White House on Tuesday, promoted the administration’s crackdown on immigration and featured Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers handcuffing various people to the tune of the Grammy-winner’s song “Bye.”

“Bye-bye 👋 President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history,” the caption on the video read. Grande’s comment has since been deleted or hidden from the video’s replies, and the sound on the TikTok has been disabled.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded to Grande’s comment in an emailed statement to The Times, writing, “We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.”

Grande joins a slew of prominent musicians and artists who have told the Trump administration to cease using their tunes to promote his agenda.

On the 2024 presidential campaign trail, Beyoncé endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris, who used Queen Bey’s song “Freedom” as a rally anthem. When a spokesman for Trump used the same song in a social media post, the mega star’s team responded swiftly with a cease-and-desist.

During a 2024 Montana rally, Trump’s team played a video clip using “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song from the 1997 film “Titanic.” Celine Dion’s management team and record label responded with a statement shooting down the song’s use: “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use. … And really, THAT song?”

And then, of course, when Trump used Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” on the 2016 campaign trail without the artist’s permission, the American rocker responded by endorsing Hillary Clinton and calling Trump a “moron.”

Add to the list Nancy Sinatra, who posted that Trump’s nod to Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way” was “sacrilege”; the Smiths’ former guitarist Johnny Marr, who said, “Consider this s— shut right down right now,” when the band’s song was used at a 2023 Trump rally; Sabrina Carpenter, who slammed the use of her song in a video, calling it “evil”; and many, many, many more.

AFTER taking a break from music to focus on her acting career, Ariana Grande made a triumphant return to the stage this weekend.

She kicked off her first tour in seven years with a show in Oakland, California, in front of 20,000 fans. In August, she will play ten sold-out nights at London’s O2 Arena. But among the celebrations, she’s sparked concerns from those close to her, who have been blindsided by the news of her break-up with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater.

In a cruel twist of fate, hours after she wrapped up that first show, news broke that she had split from Ethan after three years together.

After being burned multiple times while growing up in the spotlight,
I’m told Ariana keeps her circle so small that many in her wider team
had no idea she was single once more.

A source tells me: “Some artists have Zoom calls with their wider teams
almost weekly to keep everyone across what is happening in their lives, in case stories break.

“But with Ariana, it’s all on a need-to-know basis.

“She fully understands the interest in her life and openly channels
her personal experiences into her music and art, but at the same time,
she has no desire to give a running commentary about what goes on
off-stage.

“Her break-up with Ethan is a prime example of that.

“Many of her wider team thought they were still together until the
news broke.

“There has been no big ‘gotcha’ moment; things have simply
run their course.”

To make matters worse for the superstar, the toxic side of the
internet immediately began to speculate en masse about Ari’s body
image during her latest performance.

It is a topic she has repeatedly asked fans to drop and was so upset by previous speculation about weight loss that she felt forced to speak out online.

Posting on TikTok in 2023, Ariana said: “I just wanted to address your
concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to be
paid such close attention to.

“The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the
unhealthiest version of my body.

“I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating
poorly, and at the lowest point of my life, when I looked the way you
consider me healthy.

“But that in fact wasn’t my healthy. You never know what someone is
going through, so be gentle with each other.”

Ari also used the lead single from her 2024 album to tell fans to back off.

On Yes, And? she sings: “My face is sitting, I don’t need no disguise.
Don’t comment on my body, do not reply. Your business is yours, and
mine is mine.”

She added in November 2024: “I love my fans. I love them always, but I
think they can sometimes hurt my feelings, and sometimes I don’t like
them — but I love them always.”

In my experience, Ariana has always been sweet and kind.

I met Ariana when she was attending the 2025 Baftas. That year, the glitzy bash was brimming with A-list stars, with Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Cynthia Erivo, Pamela Anderson, and Demi Moore all in attendance.

Despite arguably being the biggest name in the room, Ari seemed almost
overwhelmed by the hysteria around her and was surprisingly shy.

When I was making my way to an unplanned toilet break after enjoying one too many glasses of bubbles, I bumped into Ari being escorted to another part of the venue for official photos.

It was just her, her chaperone, and me in our part of the corridor. Being a fan, I shamelessly saw my chance and took it.

Keen not to make eye contact with her security, who I knew would
rebuff my request, I smiled at the superstar, quickly telling her how
I had supported her career for years and asked for a selfie.

Ariana immediately took pity on me, thanking me and saying “of course” to a quick snap.

Clearly on a tight schedule, her chaperone tried to move her on.

“No, no, it’s okay,” she sweetly told him, before we got into position
and posed for a few pictures.

After a brief chat about the evening ahead, where she was nominated for
Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Glinda in
Wicked, we went our separate ways.

Someone at her level could easily be cold and uninterested—believe me,
I’ve met enough stars like that over the years.

But despite a decade of torrid luck, Ariana clearly hasn’t let the industry jade her.

Ari has endured more in the last few years than most of us will in a lifetime.

In 2017, 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured when her concert at the Manchester Arena was bombed in a horrific terror attack.

The following year, her former boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, tragically died from an accidental overdose shortly after their break-up.

The singer then endured intense, highly unfair harassment from online
trolls blaming his passing on her.

While reps insist there was no overlap in either relationship, the fact that both she and Ethan were married when they first met on the set of Wicked fuelled the rumour mill once again.

As is so often the case, it was Ariana, the woman, who became the
lightning rod for abuse, while Ethan largely escaped scot-free.

The Wicked press tours were also pounced on as an opportunity for mass
speculation about her changing image.

Speaking to the Sun, fashion designer and singer Laura Marshall says:
“Often changes in body image aren’t surface-level; they are the side
effects of a deeper pain that manifests in control.

“Being questioned in this way makes it so much worse.

“Speculating doesn’t help. Judging doesn’t help. Showing kindness and compassion is the only way to handle it.”

Before her split from Ethan, Ariana had finally begun to find inner
peace and confidence once more.

Her eighth album, Petal, is set for release on July 31, penned about
finding life again after something “cold and challenging.”

Ariana explained: “Petal is something that is full of life and growing
through the cracks of something cold and hard and challenging.

“It’s definitely from a place where I have been maybe too shy or
polite to tap into before. This kind of just feels like, ‘f*** it.’

“It was about breaking up with all different kinds of negative
attachments—whether it’s my own monsters in my own head, external
voices, or things that no longer serve me.”

The lead single, Hate That I Made You Love Me, has already given Ari
her eighth UK No.1 single since 2020’s Positions.

I can’t imagine having to go on stage while navigating a break-up at
any point, let alone performing a show explicitly based on my own past
heartbreaks and traumas.

And the new show has it all.

A truly spectacular pop concert packed with hit after hit,
interspersed with thought-provoking interludes hinting at Ariana Grande’s turbulent past decade.

The production is based on her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, which
chronicled the breakdown of her marriage to Dalton Gomez and her finding love with actor Ethan Slater.

During the opening night, she broke down in tears, seemingly overcome
with emotion at being back on stage after previously admitting she
thought she would never tour again.

I hope for Ari’s sake that spectators and fans think twice before
speculating en masse as she continues to take to stages around the
world.

After everything she’s been through, the fact that she even wants to
perform is remarkable. At the very least, she deserves kindness.

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have reportedly ended their relationship after almost three years together.

According to multiple outlets, the former couple — who met on the set of the 2024 musical blockbuster “Wicked” — quietly called it quits several months ago.

“It’s amicable, they gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways,” a source told People. “They are still friends and very supportive of one another. They have been quietly broken up for several months.”

The “Thank U, Next” singer, 32, and “SpongeBob SquarePants” actor, 34, had been linked since 2023. They made their relationship Instagram-official in 2024 in the lead-up to the release of “Wicked,” in which Grande starred as G(a)linda the Good while Slater portrayed Munchkin and future-Tin Man Boq.

Their dating rumors were scrutinized at the time because Grande and Slater both had highly publicized splits from former spouses around the same time. Grande was previously married to real estate agent Dalton Gomez, while Slater had been married to psychologist Lilly Jay, his high-school sweetheart with whom he shares a child.

In March, Slater wrapped the off-Broadway run of “Marcel on the Run.” In addition to co-writing the play with Marshall Pailet, Slater portrayed mime artist Marcel Marceau.

Grande, meanwhile, embarked on her Eternal Sunshine tour in Oakland on Saturday. This marks the “Hate That I Made You Love Me” singer’s first tour since 2019. Grande is slated for five shows in Los Angeles beginning June 13.

This might be the last time fans can catch Grande at a live concert — at least for a while. In November, she mentioned these shows might be her “last hurrah” as a touring pop star.

“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 on the “Good Hang With Amy Poehler” podcast. “So I’m going to give it my all, and it’s going to be beautiful, and I think that’s why I’m doing it, because it’s like, one last hurrah.”

Grande’s next album, “Petal,” will be released July 31.

Ariana Grande and boyfriend Ethan Slater have broken up, according to reports.

The couple, who starred in both Wicked films, had been together for three years.

TMZ reports that the separation is amicable and the pair remain good friends.

Unlike Lily Allen’s searingly personal music after her split rom husband David Harbour, the publication writes that Ariana’s new upcoming album, Petal, isn’t inspired by her own split.

Meanwhile People claims the pair “have been quietly broken up for several months.”

This tallies with rumours that had been swirling around the relationship prior to the split that the pair were struggling to make their busy schedules work.

READ MORE ON ARIANA GRANDE

GRANDE SUCCESS

Ariana Grande makes major new career move inspired by Taylor Swift

OOPS!

Ariana Grande fans spot blunder in Focker-In-Law trailer – did you catch it?

The Sun has contacted representatives for Ethan and Ariana for comment.

Just this weekend, on the very first night of Ariana’s Eternal Sunshine Tour at the weekend, her fans thought she’d put the speculation to bed by alluding to an engagement.

While singing her hit Thank U, Next, she changed the lyrics from “Only wanna do it once, real bad” to “twice” as she playfully held up two fingers and laughed.

It sent fans wild, but now it’s clear it was a red herring.

The couple got together in controversial circumstances.

Ariana, 32, split from her ex-husband Dalton Gomez in 2023 after almost three years of marriage.

Around the same time, Ethan went through a messy divorce from Lilly Jay, his wife of five years, just a year after the birth of their son, Ezra.

Despite rumours alleging Ethan’s romance started with Ariana on the set of Wicked while he was still married to Lilly, sources close to the pop star insist the couple had been separated for two months.

“Ariana’s the story really. Not a girl’s girl,” Lilly previously said.

“My family is just collateral damage… The story is her and Dalton.”

She added: “As for me, days with my son are sunny. Days when I can’t escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker.”

Ethan and Ariana moved in together in New York in 2023 — before her divorce was finalised.

She defended her man publicly in a Vanity Fair interview in 2024 amid criticism of the way his previous relationship ended.

Ariana said: “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about.”

And she admitted that the narrative had hurt her, adding: “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it.”