During an electrifying concert on Monday evening, Ariana Grande took a moment to address her audience and shed light on her decision to step back from the public eye after the conclusion of her “Eternal Sunshine” tour.

“Can we get a little real tonight?” Ariana asked the crowd at the Chicago performance, as captured in a video that’s making waves across social media platforms like X.

In a heartfelt four-minute speech, which she had thoughtfully composed on her phone, the 33-year-old megastar clarified that the announcement made the previous day was far from being a knee-jerk reaction. Instead, it had been exaggerated by online speculation.

Expanding on her decision, the singer-actress shared that it was a carefully considered, empowering choice she had made quietly some time ago, dismissing the narrative that it was influenced by recent events.

She firmly debunked rumors swirling around, stating that negativity on the internet isn’t affecting her well-being or decisions, putting such assumptions firmly to rest.

“No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or not as real to me as this love that we share,” Grande insisted, dubbing the tour “one of the most healing, beautiful, correct and special experiences” she’s ever had.

“That felt good,” the “Wicked” star concluded said before resuming the United Center performance. “I wish that words were enough to articulate how much I love you.”

Over the weekend, Grande’s rep announced that the Grammy winner will be “taking a step back from visibility” when her “Eternal Sunshine” tour wraps.

“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,” the spokesperson explained, referencing online chatter regarding Grande’s weight following the release of her “Petal” music video.

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

Page Six exclusively reported that Grande is bowing out because “she’s been overworked.”

We hear, “She’s been nonstop and it’s taking a toll. She’s never handled the public scrutiny well and constant chatter about her weight [doesn’t help].”

A second insider told us Grande is taking a break because she was hurt by the “nonstop public scrutiny” more than a heavy work schedule.

The “Thank U, Next” hitmaker had been set to star in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” opposite her “Wicked” co-star Jonathan Bailey next summer, but has now pulled out.

The musical’s producers acknowledged her withdrawal via social media on Sunday.

“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,’” read a statement shared by the musical’s official X account. “We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support.”

The former Nickelodeon star has previously hit back at chatter around her body.

In her song “Yes, And?” off her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine, Grande 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.”

Her decision to “step back” comes on the heels of Grande’s split from ex-boyfriend Ethan Slater after three years of dating.

Last month, Page Six confirmed she is back together with her ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez.

On a Friday night, the spotlight was on Ariana Grande as she graced the stage at Montreal’s Bell Centre. Clad in a flowing white dress that accentuated her ethereal presence, Grande moved with a touch of stiffness, yet her enchanting voice resonated powerfully throughout the arena.

As she captivated the audience with hits ranging from “Into You” to “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Grande showcased her extraordinary four-octave vocal range, a testament to the talent that first captured hearts during her Broadway beginnings in her teenage years.

That initial success paved the way for greater recognition on “Victorious,” a hit Nickelodeon sitcom that helped launch Grande into stardom.

As the former child star took her final bow in Canada, marking another stop on her demanding Eternal Sunshine Tour, there seemed to be no indication of the career-defining decision she would soon make, one that would generate headlines globally 48 hours later.

Just hours preceding the Montreal concert, Grande released the music video for her latest single “Petal.” The video quickly stirred conversations due to its provocative ending, where Grande wields a chainsaw against dismissive male music executives, drenched in blood in a scene evocative of a horror film.

However, although the Petal video swiftly racked up millions of views, the reaction focused almost entirely on her strikingly slender physique.

‘At this point, I’m judging her team, friends and family,’ said one viewer, whose comment was ‘liked’ by 62,000 people. Another added: ‘She is surrounded by enablers.’

On Instagram, where Grande boasts 363 million followers, she uploaded a series of recent photos. Some were quickly presented with a ‘community note’ from other users attached to the post warning about eating disorders and urging anyone struggling with one to ‘seek help’.

The British actress and Left-wing activist Jameela Jamil – who has survived an eating disorder herself – also commented online, claiming that Grande was ‘possibly dying in front of us’ and wondered why her team had chosen to release such a ‘damaging image for young fans’. Jamil later deleted her crass remark, but insisted: ‘My point stands. This is deeply irresponsible.’

Finally, as the row approached a crescendo on Sunday night, Ariana’s team sensationally announced that she would be pulling out of a London stage production that was tipped to be one of the biggest Theatreland has ever seen.

Her spokesman told People magazine that Grande would ‘be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour’, adding: ‘She looks forward to . . . taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.’

So what exactly is going on – and should her army of fans be worried? Earlier this year it was revealed that the 33-year-old would be starring opposite Jonathan Bailey in a Barbican production of Sunday In The Park with George: Stephen Sondheim’s legendary 1984 musical about the 19th-century French painter Georges Seurat and his mistress Dot.

Her casting had been a major coup for producers – and a triumph for the London venue.

Grande and Bailey were, of course, two stars of the Wicked films, by far the most successful cinematic adaptations of Broadway musicals ever, grossing more than $750million at the box office and garnering ten Oscar nominations (including one for Grande as Best Supporting Actress).

Yet on Sunday, Empire Street Productions, the company producing Sunday at the Park with George, was told that Grande was quitting the production less than an hour before her team released their own statement. This meant that the Barbican had to scramble to get ahead of the story.

Last night, one source connected to the production told the Daily Mail that Grande’s decision was ‘mind-bending’, adding: ‘It all unfolded rapidly after the release of her music video sparked more backlash about her appearance.

‘There have been ongoing discussions [about the production] because there was a lot of [online discussion] around Ariana, but she was excited to do this show and rehearsals don’t start until 2027.

‘The Barbican was informed at 8pm on Sunday. It was all very sudden and has left them in a terrible mess. It is their most expensive theatrical project ever, and all involved are absolutely gutted. They feel for Ariana . . . There were promotion plans in place, with magazine covers lined up. But in any theatre production, you have to consider something like this could happen.’

Her co-star Bailey, 38, is believed to remain ‘committed to the show’ in the title role. ‘He was always the key player in this: Ariana wanted the role of Dot alongside him,’ added our source. ‘Jonathan and Ariana were excited to do it together. They have become incredibly close. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jonathan had found out before the Barbican did.’

Publicly, the show’s producers said: ‘We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and [Ariana] makes it with our complete understanding and support. We wish her nothing but the best.’ They added that the production will open as planned next summer, with tickets going on sale next month.

As the Daily Mail went to press last night, Grande was due to perform at Chicago’s United Centre for the first of three concerts there, before moving to London’s O2 Arena for her tour’s final ten shows from August 15 to September 1.

Despite rumours swirling online yesterday that she may yet cancel those British dates, sources close to the singer have insisted to the Daily Mail that there are no plans to do so – although they are preparing for ‘intense scrutiny on the tour’. (Industry insiders noted that if Ariana were to cancel her remaining dates, she would lose significant revenue and face high costs.)

Yesterday, Grande put a brave face on events, writing online: ‘See you tonight, Chicago.’

But if she’s hoping for a rest after the tour, she may not be able to enjoy it for long. Grande is due to promote her new film, Focker-In-Law, in which she stars alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in the latest instalment of the Meet The Fockers series, which is due for release on November 25. She’ll be expected to appear on the red carpet repeatedly for weeks.

Of course, speculation around Grande’s appearance – some concerned, some prurient and some simply cruel – has dogged her for a long time. While Ariana herself has always publicly insisted that she is perfectly healthy, and has never directly addressed concerns about her dramatic weight loss, that hasn’t stopped worried fans from pointing out how gaunt she has appeared in recent years.

In April 2023, she addressed the speculation publicly with a post on TikTok, saying: ‘I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies,’ adding it was hard ‘to be paid this close attention to [sic]’.

She added that when people were comparing how she then looked to previous images, those earlier pictures were in fact ‘the unhealthiest version of my body . . . I was on a lot of antidepressants, and drinking on them, and eating poorly . . . [I was] at the lowest points of my life when I looked the way you consider “my healthy”, but that in fact wasn’t my healthy.’

The following year, in her song Yes, And?, Grande again addressed the scrutiny over her appearance, singing: ‘Don’t comment on my body, do not reply. Your business is yours and mine is mine. Why do you care so much . . . Why?’

The same year, during her Wicked press tour, she spoke about the subject in detail, saying: ‘I’ve been doing this in front of the public and been a specimen in a petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17.’

Certainly, she is far from the first former child star to have experienced a troubled adulthood. But by anyone’s standards, Grande has suffered a series of truly tragic events in her personal and private life over the past decade or so.

First, of course, there was the horrific suicide bombing of her Manchester Arena concert by an Islamist in 2017. Salman Abedi, of Libyan descent, murdered 22 people, many of them children, and injured more than 1,000 others.

Inevitably, the atrocity deeply affected Grande, who said she was ‘broken’ and couldn’t find the words to describe how devastated she felt at the time.

A year after the attack, she said: ‘People are permanently affected by this stuff. It changes everything.’ She added that she was coping with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Many lesser artists would have retired then and there – and she hardly needs the money, being worth around £200million – but Grande bravely organised the benefit concert One Love Manchester to support victims and their families.

Then, in 2018 – just a year after the Manchester attack – her rapper boyfriend Mac Miller, another child star who had burst on to the music scene as a 15-year-old, died from an accidental drug overdose. He was just 26. Grande had first met him when she was 19, and the pair were together for almost two years, breaking up some four months before he died.

‘I can’t believe you’re not here any more,’ she wrote online at the time. ‘I don’t know what to do. You were my dearest friend.’ In an interview the following year, she said her grief over his death was ‘pretty all-consuming’.

Shortly afterwards, she embarked on a brief, whirlwind relationship with actor and comedian Pete Davidson – a former boyfriend of Kim Kardashian – with the couple getting matching tattoos. Davidson presented her with a $93,000 engagement ring, and the couple even bought a pet pig together, named Piggie Smalls – before they broke off the engagement after spending just five months together.

Grande went on to find brief happiness with Dalton Gomez, an estate agent for luxury properties, whom she married in 2021. However, their divorce was finalised three years later.

She also had a near-three-year relationship with actor Ethan Slater while filming Wicked, before they split up this summer. Slater is thought to have left his ex-wife and newborn baby after meeting the star.

But if her love life has been turbulent, her career has only gone from strength to strength. Grande’s debut album, 2013’s Yours Truly, was an instant hit, and she went on to achieve global chart success with Dangerous Woman and Thank U, Next.

She pushed herself even further by moving back into acting, relaunching that side of her career with Wicked in 2024 – a role that took an emotional and physical toll. Intensive rehearsal schedules, singing live and performing stunts alongside British co-star Cynthia Erivo were all-consuming.

In January this year, Grande admitted a career break ‘would be healthy’, telling Vogue Japan: ‘These past few years have been pretty non-stop. And by few, I mean 15.’ She added that she was searching for more ‘balance’ in the years to come.

All her fans desperately hope she finds it. And as she readies herself to take to the London stage next week, many will be praying she gets the rest she clearly needs.

CHICAGO (WLS) — Dog owners in Roscoe Village express concerns that the recent redesign of the dog-friendly area at Hamlin Park is causing injuries, which is deterring visits to the park.

According to local residents, the newly introduced asphalt-and-gravel surface has sparked worries about both safety and practicality. Meanwhile, officials from the Chicago Park District explain that the renovations aimed to enhance the park’s accessibility, maintenance, and drainage.

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“Afternoons used to see this park buzzing with people, but now it’s almost deserted,” mentioned dog owner Cassidy Kulhanek.

Regular visitors to Hamlin Park’s dog area are voicing that the revamp has not benefitted their furry friends as anticipated.

“I actually believe the situation has worsened since the renovations began,” shared Sylvia Snow, another concerned dog owner.

The park district said the dog-friendly area near Hoyne and Wellington was redesigned to improve accessibility, maintenance and drainage, replacing its previous pea gravel surface with an asphalt-and-gravel design.

According to the park district, the previous dog area consisted primarily of pea gravel, which migrated onto adjacent sidewalks and did not provide an accessible or durable circulation route. The updated design introduced asphalt walkways and gathering areas while retaining pea gravel in designated dog activity areas.

The park district said the hybrid design was intended to create a stable, lower-maintenance surface for users while improving accessibility, better defining circulation patterns and extending the service life of the facility. The park district said it also preserved permeable areas to support drainage.

Snow said she was immediately concerned about the new surface material.

“I was concerned immediately about the surface, the dark surface, that in the summertime it’s going to be too hot for the paws,” Snow said.

Other owners expressed concerns about how the redesign functions.

“The black asphalt isn’t great; the rocks don’t stay in these little cutouts,” dog owner Greg Zimmerman said.

Kulhanek said her dog, Pop Tart, has not been injured, but concerns about other dogs have kept them away.

“I’ve seen dogs get, like, their paws sensitive suddenly when they’re running through the gravel, like something has stuck them and, like, pricked their paw or something,” Kulhanek said. “We are hearing a lot of horror stories about other dogs getting hurt at the park, and that kind of deters us from coming at all.”

Zimmerman said he understands the goals behind the redesign but questions whether the final product works for dog owners.

“I understand that they did this because it’s easier for maintenance or for water runoff, and I understand that it has to be usable as well, so they kind of missed the mark on that part,” Zimmerman said.

In a statement, the park district said it is aware of concerns raised by park users and has scheduled a meeting with the Dog Friendly Area Committee.

“We have been made aware of patron concerns regarding the Dog Friendly Area (DFA) at Hamlin Park, and have scheduled a meeting with the Dog Friendly Area Committee to address the community’s concerns about their park experience and determine the appropriate next steps in alignment with our guidelines,” the park district said.

The park district said it does not actively select locations for new dog-friendly areas but supports communities interested in creating them by providing guidelines and helping stakeholders through the process. The park district said the Dog Friendly Area Committee that initiates the process is composed of community stakeholders responsible for maintenance of the dog-friendly area.

The park district also said gravel-filled concrete sections within the redesign were intended to provide controlled drainage areas. According to the park district, those sections help minimize standing water and mud, improve drainage performance and keep gravel confined to designated locations.

The park district added that pea gravel and asphalt are commonly used materials in park facilities, including dog-friendly areas, because of their durability and maintenance considerations. For dog owners raising concerns, the issue extends beyond the redesign itself. They say they want a voice in whatever changes come next.

In an attempt to cultivate an air of normalcy in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin may have inadvertently opened a security gap, potentially giving opponents such as Ukraine more leeway to strike at the heart of Russia’s military command, an analyst warned on Monday.

This evaluation emerged in the aftermath of a deadly blast that tore through a high-end Moscow eatery on August 1, coinciding with the presence of a senior Russian military figure reportedly attending a private gathering there. Various Russian media sources alleged that the explosion was aimed at Colonel General Alexander Chaiko. Chaiko led the unsuccessful 2022 assault on Kyiv and has recently taken the reins of Russia’s aerospace forces. These assertions, however, lack independent confirmation.

Should Chaiko have been present at the scene, it “would provide Ukraine with considerable incentive,” noted Dr. Mark Episkopos, a Eurasia research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, in a conversation with News Media. He further indicated that despite numerous similar incidents, there’s been ongoing criticism within Russia over military and elite figures neglecting operational security protocols by organizing gatherings such as these.

Reacting to the incident, the Russian Embassy in Rome pointed fingers at Kyiv, accusing it of orchestrating the attack. In a statement released on August 2, the embassy declared the act as “proof that the Ukrainian terrorist contagion is already beginning to spread.”

“The other factor here is that Putin has done his best to preserve a sense of ‘normalcy’ in Moscow and St. Petersburg, cultivating a facade of stability that Ukraine has been able to exploit,” Episkopos added.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said an unidentified woman carried an improvised explosive device to the Balzi Rossi restaurant. The committee said the woman was stopped by security before the bomb was detonated near the restaurant’s entrance. The Russian Embassy in Rome on Monday said five people were killed and 19 were injured in the attack.

“This particular event did seem to have a substantial level of security, which is why the person carrying the explosive was reportedly stopped and questioned at the entrance,” Episkopos noted.

Russian investigators suggested the courier may not have known she was transporting explosives and said the device was detonated remotely.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin condemned the “brutal terrorist attack,” vowing that those responsible would be punished, according to Deutsche Welle.

“The means by which this attack was executed — a remotely detonated explosive device delivered on-site by a civilian — are also consistent with other assassinations deep inside Russian territory previously attributed to Ukraine,” Episkopos said.

“These include those of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, pro-Kremlin blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and others,” he said.

Ukraine had not publicly commented on the restaurant bombing as of Monday afternoon, and no group had claimed responsibility.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of targeting senior military officers, pro-war figures and Russian-installed officials.

Episkopos noted that Kyiv has increasingly used unconventional tactics to offset Russia’s superiority in conventional manpower and firepower.

“Ukraine has pioneered a new style of asymmetric warfare that plays to its strengths and Russia’s weaknesses — relatively porous borders and vast territory that’s difficult to monitor, let alone defend,” he said. “Ukraine’s interior is smaller and comparatively better controlled, and the intelligence it receives from Western partners plays a role here.”

Episkopos added: “This makes operations like this more difficult to pull off. Russia has generally relied on its advantage in raw firepower to conduct airstrikes, as opposed to covert assassinations, against high-value Ukrainian targets.”

A series of cyber assaults targeting numerous water systems across the United States is believed to have been orchestrated by a well-known hacker group with ties to Iran. Experts caution that this malevolent entity might not yet have concluded its operations.

Known as the “Cyberav3ngers,” this group is suspected of orchestrating recent cyber-attacks that have affected seven states. According to Tenable, a cybersecurity firm, the hackers began hinting at their intentions to strike the US on dark web forums shortly after conflict erupted between the US and Iran. The firm shared these findings with The Post, emphasizing the group’s subversive actions.

Chris Day, Tenable’s Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, explained, “We detected them either declaring or signaling that they intended to set their sights on North America’s water infrastructure.” He added that the group’s activities attracted attention as far back as April, aligning with the onset of the Iran conflict.

This hacker group has consistently claimed allegiance with Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). On July 22, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued warnings that the Cyberav3ngers, and by extension Iran, were likely in the process of targeting American systems.

The cyber onslaught has left a trail of compromised water control systems, with more than 30 instances reported in Michigan alone. These intrusions allowed hackers to expel system administrators and halt water distribution to facilities such as water towers, showcasing the severity of the breach.

No significant disruptions or harm came from the attacks and order was quickly restored at all sites, but so far nobody has claimed credit for the attacks — which prompted experts to caution the assault may still be underway, especially since the Cyberav3ngers appeared to be the culprits.

“Usually they’re pretty vocal,” Day said. “But in the past we’ve seen them when they started making claims it’s usually after the operation, so that makes me wonder, this operation may not be over.”

“Or they’re still wanting to try to extract maximum gain and notoriety out of it before they say anything,” he added.

And the attacks had the potential to be worse — with law enforcement sources telling The Post hackers could have gained access to systems which control and monitor the dosage of possibly dangerous chemicals in local water supplies.

There remains no concrete proof that the Cyberav3ngers were actually behind the attacks or are even IRGC proxies, but Day said the attacks bore all the fingerprints of both the group’s and Iran’s known tactics in cyberwarfare.

“They’ve always been kind of opportunistic, looking for exposed systems where they can leverage a known vulnerability,” Day said, calling the Cyberav3ngers a “mid-tier” threat-level.

“And they’re always acting as a proxy for the [Iranian] regime in some way,” he added.

The group has been around since at least 2020, and typically targets infrastructure systems within Iran’s enemies in the Middle East.

But the Cyberav3ngers hackers have previously targeted the US, with water systems being hit in Pennsylvania during a spate of attacks from Oct. 2023 to Jan. 2024, according to Tenable.

And while the US was able to easily mop up the effects of the latest attacks, Day cautioned that actions from the likes of the Cyberav3ngers expose cybersecurity vulnerabilities in US infrastructure — which at its worst could result in widespread blackouts and water stoppage.

“We’ve seen no indication that it’s going to get worse, we don’t expect to see a major escalation,” Day said. “But you have to be vigilant.”

Despite CISA and Tenable fingering the Cyberav3ngers as the likely culprit, the situation was cast into confusion Friday after President Trump denied any Iranian involvement — and instead blamed Minnesota’s “corrupt” Gov. Tim Walz.

“They blame it on Iran. I don’t think so,” Trump said. “I think I blame it on Minnesota, because they’re grossly incompetent.”

Walz then accused the president of deflecting.

“Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too,” Walz wrote on X. “This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran.”

Ariana Grande, amidst a whirlwind of public attention, took to the stage in Chicago on Monday with a powerful message. This moment of candor followed her announcement of a temporary withdrawal from public engagements amid ongoing scrutiny.

‘[The hiatus] was not a reactive or impulsive thing,’ the 33-year-old pop diva said onstage the United Center.

“I’ve made this decision,” she began, explaining it was a plan she had quietly conceived well in advance. Her choice, she assured her audience, came from a place of contemplation and empowerment. “I want you to understand that multiple things can coexist as truths,” she added.

In response to fans’ concerns, with clear conviction in her voice, she continued, “I’ve heard some people worry that negativity is overwhelming me, but that’s absolutely not the case.”

As cheers erupted from the crowd, she reinforced her message: “I’m here to assure you that this decision isn’t about negativity taking control. It’s about something quite the opposite. Boundaries are important, and every one of us needs a break now and then.”

Grande, a two-time Grammy winner, passionately proclaimed that external noise will never overshadow what truly matters. “No matter the clamor outside,” she declared, “nothing can distort my reality or be more genuine and resounding than the love we share in this room.”

‘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,’ Grande said.

‘I need to get out here and differentiate that from my truth for you all because I love you.’

The Florida-born singer went on to call her sold-out, 41-date Eternal Sunshine Tour the ‘greatest experience of my professional and creative life’ as well as ‘the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.’

Hours earlier, Grande received public support from her mother Joan Grande, who commented on a behind-the-scenes slideshow from the set of her new Petal music video.

‘You are magnificent… and this video is incredible!’ the 69-year-old mother-of-two wrote.

‘I love it and I love you more!’

In the Petal video, directed by Christian Breslauer, the Oscar-nominated actress looked alarmingly thin and her ribcage was visibly protruding through her chest. 

Grande famously reprimanded fans in 2023 that the appearance they considered her ‘healthiest’ circa 2016-2018 was actually the opposite. 

The Hate That I Made You Love Me singer is scheduled to perform this Wednesday and Thursday in Chicago before kicking off her 10-night residency at The O2 Arena in London, England from August 15 to September 1.

‘Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,’ Grande’s team told People on Sunday.

‘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.’

Grande, who is known for her four-octave vocal range, released her eighth studio album Petal last Friday, and it received a lukewarm 6.5 review (out of 10) on Pitchfork but Rolling Stone gave it four out of five stars.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Grande’s reps for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The former Nickelodeon star was set to reunite with her Wicked: For Good leading man Jonathan Bailey in a West End production of Stephen Sondheim’s 1984 musical Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican Centre in London in summer 2027.

But Empire Street Productions confirmed Grande ‘decided to step back’ and they ‘wish her nothing but the best’ as they recast the role of Dot.

The R.E.M. Beauty founder will next portray Harry Focker’s (Skyler Gisondo) strong-willed fiancée – former FBI hostage negotiator Olivia Jones – in John Hamburg’s comedy Focker-in-Law, which hits US/UK theaters November 25.

The fourth installment of the Fockers franchise will also star Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner and Beanie Feldstein.

The singer has addressed her weight multiple times over the years and has insisted that she’s healthy, despite the continued speculation around her shrinking frame.

‘There’s a comfortability that people have commenting on that that I think is really dangerous,’ she told YouTuber Sally in a 2024 interview.

‘I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish really since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all,’ she continued.

‘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. But that’s everything from — even just the simplest thing — your appearance, you know?’

She added, ‘I think in today’s society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all — commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves.’

In a 2023 TikTok, Grande directly addressed concerns about her weight and explained that older photos of herself, where she wasn’t as thin, were actually taken during an unhealthy period in her life.

‘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 my healthy, but that in fact wasn’t my healthy,’ she explained.

‘I know I shouldn’t have to explain that, but I do feel like having an openness and some sort of vulnerability here will [mean] something good might come from it. Healthy can look different.’

Last December, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly shockingly accused Grande of being ‘anorexic’.

‘Take a look at Ariana Grande right now, of the music industry and now also as an actress starring in Wicked. Let’s check in on how Ariana, who was raised on television, on Nickelodeon… is doing,’ Kelly began.

‘She is very clearly anorexic. If she’s 90 pounds, it’s a lot. She looks like you could snap her in two with your fingers.’

In a significant blow to organized crime, a prominent figure allegedly at the helm of a notorious Mexican crime syndicate has been apprehended. The arrest ties him to the murder of a local mayor and has further implications, as authorities have uncovered links between his group and the brutal livestreamed slaying of a young influencer.

Known by the alias “El R-1,” Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala was captured during a coordinated military and police operation, as confirmed by official sources.

Álvarez Ayala has been identified by Mexican officials as the leading figure of Los Rs, a faction connected to the larger and infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Authorities claim that Álvarez Ayala orchestrated and financially supported the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo in November 2025. Furthermore, his criminal network is suspected in the gruesome murder of beauty influencer Valeria Márquez five months prior. Intriguingly, the victim had a personal tie to the suspect—she was once romantically involved with his son.

Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced details of the investigation a day after the arrest.

“‘El R-1’ is identified as the main leader of Los Rs, one of the most violent criminal cells linked to the CJNG, with operations in Apatzingán, Uruapan and Morelia, Michoacán, as well as in Jalisco,” García Harfuch said in a statement posted on X.

“This organization is involved in extortion, murders and drug trafficking, directly affecting producers, business owners and families in the region,” he added.

As previously reported by News Media, Márquez, a popular TikTok creator with more than 100,000 followers, was shot and killed while livestreaming from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.

At the time, the killing was being investigated as a femicide, a gender-based crime under Mexican law.

Video appeared to show a man entering the salon, asking, “Are you Valeria?” before handing Márquez a gift.

The man then allegedly shot her in the chest and head. Márquez collapsed on camera before another person ended the livestream, the video appeared to show.

García Harfuch said the killing was linked to Francisco, who allegedly threatened Márquez several times after their relationship ended.

“This criminal cell allegedly participated under his orders in coordinating multiple violent acts in the region. Among them is the tragic feminicide of Valeria Márquez, which occurred in May 2025 in Zapopan, Jalisco, a crime linked to Francisco, the victim’s former partner and Ramón Ángel’s son,” García Harfuch said.

“With yesterday’s arrest, we learned that R-1’s son had a romantic relationship with Valeria. He had threatened her on several occasions and everything indicates, and this will be proven, that the son asked his father, R-1, to carry out the feminicide,” he said, according to reports.

Álvarez Ayala is now in custody, while Francisco remains at large. Jalisco authorities have also arrested another man accused of participating in Márquez’s killing.

In addition to Márquez’s killing, Álvarez Ayala is accused of financing and orchestrating the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations in November 2025.

Manzo had been an outspoken critic of organized crime and worked to root out corruption within the local police force.

Authorities have arrested 31 people in connection with Manzo’s killing, García Harfuch said.

Álvarez Ayala is being held at the Altiplano maximum-security prison while federal prosecutors pursue charges. Investigations into both killings are ongoing.

The Treasury Department said the CJNG was “one of the most powerful cartels in the world” and imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals and entities in Mexico linked to the organization in July.