Wicked Star Ariana Grande to Take a ‘Step Back From Visibility’

Wicked star Ariana Grande will take a ‘step back from visibility’ following her Eternal Sunshine tour, and has exited West End musical Sunday in the Park with George, which was due to open in London next summer.

After her Eternal Sunshine tour wraps up in London on September 1, the superstar singer and actor will take a break from public-facing work and appearances, which, a representative told People, “has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.” The news comes amid ongoing speculation around Grande’s body and health, including weight loss.

Here’s the statement:

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“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.”

Grande, who played Glinda in the Hollywood adaptations of Wicked across two films, has faced scrutiny surrounding her weight for some time. That scrutiny intensified following the release of her music video for Petal late last month. Mods for one reddit thread posting of the music video confirmed they had to remove ‘incredibly disrespectful’ comments about Grande’s appearance. Many of the over 52,000 comments on the video on Grande’s YouTube channel are about her appearance.

Wicked Gallery

Grande is set to star in Meet the Parents sequel Focker-in-Law this November. It is unclear if she will promote the movie ahead of its release in theaters. She was due to appear in Sunday in the Park with George alongside Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey, who played Fiyero Tigelaar. This evening, the official X / Twitter account of Sunday in the Park with George confirmed Grande’s exit.

“Following this evening’s announcement from Ariana Grande’s team, we can confirm that she has decided to step back from Sunday in the Park with George,” the statement from the production read. “We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support. We wish her nothing but the best. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.”

The Wicked film series has earned massive box office success, grossing a combined total of over $1.3 billion globally across both parts distributed by Universal Pictures. Wicked came out in 2024 and involved a sweeping promotional tour alongside her co-star Cynthia Erivo, who played Elphaba Thropp. Wicked: For Good followed in 2025 and, likewise, saw Grande make repeated public appearances while promoting the movie.

After Focker-in-Law, the Grammy winner will appear in the animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ beloved children’s book Oh, the Places You’ll Go!,” which is due out March 17, 2028. In her announcement shared to Instagram in July 2025, Grande posed in the voice recording studio alongside costar Josh Gad. Wicked director Jon M. Chu will helm the movie alongside co-director Jill Culton.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.