The news came out on August 2 that Ariana Grande would be dropping out of the West End revival of “Sunday in the Park with George” and stepping back from the public eye. Now, one day later, during the latest stop of her “Eternal Sunshine Tour,” the singer opened up about her decision, insisting that it wasn’t due to negativity. This comes following the release of her newest album and music video, “Petal.”
Grande took to the stage for the first of three concerts at Chicago’s United Center on August 3. During the show, she stood at a keyboard and read a statement from her phone. The “We Can’t Be Friends” singer started in the clip, “So basically, the announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing.”
Ariana Grande Says Her Hiatus Had Been in the Works
GettyGrande continued her statement while on stage by confirming that her West End exit and break from the public eye had been planned for a while. According to her, “It is something that I had decided to plan that I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”
After that, the “Petal” songstress went on to dispel rumors about why she plans to take a break after her tour ends. She said, “And I want you to know 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 opposite.
Honestly, this is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear: Multiple things can be true at the same time.”
After that, she spoke about her complicated feelings, saying, “Yes, boundaries, they 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.”
From there, Grande addressed the fans, stating, “No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or elaborate to me than this love that we share.”
She added, bluntly, “The rest of that [stuff] is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it. I need to get out 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 of my life.”
Ariana Grande Has Been Busy Non-Stop, Including Releasing ‘Petal’
Grande began the “Eternal Sunshine Tour” in June 2026 following her new single, “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” debuting in late May. Naturally, this comes after the songstress not only concluded the press tour for “Wickid 2,” but also filmed “Focker-in-Law.”
Regarding the tour, Grande has dates scheduled until September 1, giving the tour a total of 41 shows. Additionally, the songstress was supposed to appear in the upcoming 13th season of “American Horror Story.” However, Variety reported in July 2026 that she had dropped out of the series due to a scheduling conflict.
Regarding her new album, Grande released “Petal” on July 31 along with a new music video for the title track.
