Why we should think before having a conversation about Ariana Grande

This Is Why · Aug 4, 2026 · 18m

The 33-year-old star has announced that she is taking a break from public life due to “endless scrutiny”. In recent years her weight and health have been the subject of much speculation and concern.

Grande has endured a series of traumatic events. In 2017 a suicide bomber killed 22 people at her Manchester Arena show, and in 2018 her musical collaborator and ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died of an accidental overdose. Her latest music video Petal - in which she takes a chainsaw to her critics - sparked controversy as she looks visibly underweight.

But what’s the balance between ghoulish voyeurism…