Ariana Grande Is Taking a Break: She'll Step Out of the Spotlight After Her Tour Ends, and She's Dropped Out of a Broadway Project

Ariana Grande is stepping away from the spotlight once the curtain falls on the 'Eternal Sunshine' tour. The Grammy-winning singer's representative confirmed that after the tour concludes in London on Sept. 1, the artist will "take a step back from visibility."

The first concrete result of this break has already surfaced on the Broadway/West End front: Grande will not appear in the West End staging of Stephen Sondheim's musical 'Sunday in the Park with George,' planned to open at London's Barbican Centre next summer. The production would have reunited her with her 'Wicked' co-star Jonathan Bailey. A source close to the singer said Grande is "eager to support the phenomenal team bringing the project to life." The production company, Empire Street Productions, said they "know this wasn't an easy decision" and offered their full support.

Thirteen shows remain on the tour, including stops in Chicago and London. "She's looking forward to finishing the tour on a high note, both healthy and happy," her representative said. "After that, she'll take a well-earned break from the kind of work that requires being in the public eye and leads to endless public scrutiny."

Grande's health has been a constant subject of debate in recent years; comments from fans about her physical appearance intensified when the tour began in June and peaked in July following the release of her single "Petal" and its accompanying video.

The singer has largely chosen to stay silent on the discourse, though she has previously spoken about the discomfort of having her body observed and commented on by strangers. In a podcast interview at the end of 2024, she described feeling like "a specimen in a petri dish" since she was 16: "I've heard every version of what's supposedly wrong with me; you fix one thing, then something else is suddenly wrong."

Her representative emphasized one point above all: "This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has cherished every minute of it."