Ariana Grande addressed her decision to step away from the spotlight during her concert at Chicago’s United Center on Monday, stressing that the move was neither “reactive” nor “impulsive.”

“The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” Grande told the crowd at Chicago’s United Center. “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.”

Find Ariana Grande Here

“And I want you to know many things can be true at the same time,” she continued. “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 fuck 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. 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.

“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,” Grande added. “The rest of that shit 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.”

In a statement released Sunday, a representative for Grande said the 33-year-old singer and actress planned to “step back from visibility” and take a “much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances” following what was described as “endless, ongoing public scrutiny.”

Grande’s representative did not elaborate on the scrutiny referenced in the statement. However, she recently ended her high-profile relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, while concerns among fans about her physical appearance have intensified in recent months.

As a result of Grande’s decision to withdrawal from the public eye, she has dropped out of her starring role in Stephen Sondheim’s West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George, where she was set to appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey next year.

Last week, Grande released her eighth studio album, petal.

ARIANA GRANDE ADDRESSING THE HATE. https://t.co/LD0qGkpXaM

— ໊ (@buffys) August 4, 2026