Ariana Grande Got a Little Real with Fans at Last Night’s Eternal Sunshine Tour Stop

Just one day after her team announced in People that she’ll be “taking a step back from visibility” following the end of her Eternal Sunshine tour, Ariana Grande stepped into the spotlight to address the situation herself. In a statement to People, Grande’s team cited the recent scrutiny around her “health and body” as one of the main drivers of the singer’s decision to step away. But Grande, whose love/hate relationship with her fans and the public writ large is a major theme on her new album, Petal, is still on tour for the moment, and took the opportunity to address the fans herself during a performance last night in Chicago. 

Ariana Grande with a speech at tonights show in reference to her break and the hate 🤍 #weloveyouariana pic.twitter.com/CB0tajXXk3

— 𝓞𝓭𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮 (@D0LLIKE) August 4, 2026

“Is it okay if we get a little real tonight?” She asked the crowd at Chicago’s United Center before launching into a pre-written speech to “let the world know how [she is] feeling.” 

Grande goes on to clarify that the decision was not “reactive or impulsive,” and was made from a “thoughtful and empowered place.” She then went on to assure the fans that “negativity” is not ruining the tour for her, and that “multiple things can be true” (a line used multiple times in the four-minute speech). In perhaps the most re-shared line from the speech, Grande references “boundaries” that “need to be set,” as part of the decision to step away, while also clarifying that the Eternal Sunshine tour has been “the greatest experience of [my] professional career and life.” 

Greater than holding space for Defying Gravity? Really? But I digress. 

Grande ends her speech by saying, “No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me…as this love that we share,” then added, “I love you. This is what I will take with me. The rest of that shit is not mine to carry so I won’t carry it.” 

The “shit” Grande is referring to, which remains unspoken but palpable throughout the speech, is the increased speculation about her health and concerns that she may be in the throes of an eating disorder. This speculation goes back years, with Grande first addressing concerns about her weight in a 2023 TikTok when she’d only just started filming Wicked: Part One. 

@arianagrande♡♬ original sound – arianagrande

While the “don’t comment on my body” line (which appears verbatim in her first Eternal Sunshine single, “Yes, And”) was enough to tamp down critics at the time, the scrutiny never went away, and as an increasingly waif-like Grande continued to appear on our screens, fans and general observers alike have grown more concerned. This concern moved to a new level after the release of Grande’s “Petal” music video, prompting images of her visible bones to begin circulating on social media. 

So what’s next for Grande? She’s already announced she’ll no longer be doing the West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George, the Eternal Sunshine tour ends in London on September 1, and it remains to be seen how much of the upcoming Focker In-Law press tour she’ll be participating in. 

Here’s hoping that this break is as healthy and restorative as she’s saying it will be. 

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