Why We're Worried About Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande has been refreshingly honest about her mental health through her many years in the spotlight. During the pop star's 2018 BBC Music special, she opened up about her struggles with anxiety, saying, "I almost feel guilty that I have [anxiety] because it's just in your head and it's crazy how powerful it is." The "No Tears Left To Cry" hitmaker detailed how she would have prolonged periods where she managed to keep her anxiety under control. Eventually, though, a trigger would cause it to return, and she would have to take a couple of days to deal with it.

Likewise, during her 2024 appearance on the "Podcrushed" podcast, she shared that she dealt with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in her younger years. The "Victorious" alum's daily routine consisted of habits such as belting out "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked" a couple of times in the shower to ensure she had given herself enough time to get properly clean. Grande also had a tendency to use excessive amounts of hand sanitizer that would cause her skin to develop cracks.

In November 2018, she took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share, "In all honesty therapy has saved my life so many times." The former child star continued, "If you're afraid to ask for help, don't be. You don't have to be in constant pain & you can process trauma." However, despite Grande's honesty, social media users consistently believe she is going through more than she lets on.

Fans have expressed concern about Ariana Grande's weight on several occasions. However, the public scrutiny hit a whole new level after Grande's appearance on the "Wicked" press tour in 2024. Many X users believed that she had lost far too much weight and looked unwell as a result. Some commentators even speculated that the Grammy winner had developed an eating disorder or some other illness. Overall, folks on the internet were far from quiet about their concern. "Why is nobody talking about the fact Ariana Grande is extremely underweight? She is not a healthy weight. All the weight she lost just for this role is crazy," one X-user wrote.

Another retweeted a photo of Grande wearing an oversized sweatshirt while meeting fans and wrote, "OK, sorry, we have to talk about this. I am a huge Ariana Grande fan. I've also struggled w/ an ED. Wearing baggy clothes is a classic way people w/ EDs try to conceal extreme weight loss. This is INCREDIBLY concerning. We have to stop pretending any of this is normal or OK." 

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

When "Wicked" brought about worry that Ariana Grande may be struggling with anorexia or another eating disorder, the star had already addressed growing concern over her weight in an April 2023 TikTok, reasoning, "There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful." The "yes, and?" songstress further clarified that the weight at which fans perceived her to be at her healthiest was, in fact, "the unhealthiest version of my body."

Grande revealed, "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." She also urged her fans not to draw conclusions about people based solely on their appearance because they were likely going through more than they realized. As always, the pop star concluded her post on a note of kindness by reminding fans that they were all beautiful. Likewise, when she appeared on the podcast "Las Culturistas" in November 2024, the Nickelodeon alum quipped that social media users were constantly diagnosing her with health issues she didn't have. Grande also confessed to finding their speculations "invasive and scary and triggering." Some fans seemed to take Grande's words to heart, encouraging folks on the internet to resist the urge to comment on the star's body. Still, as the press tour continued, Grande's appearance gained more and more attention. 

It's clear that being a part of "Wicked" has been of the utmost importance to Ariana Grande. One of the biggest takeaways folks had from the film's particularly active press tour was the emotional bond that she formed with her costar Cynthia Erivo. The pair has sparked many a meme and internet joke due to how prone to crying they've been during their many joint interviews about "Wicked." In a chat with Today, fellow "Wicked" star and Grande's beau Ethan Slater gave some insight into their emotional connection to the film. "I think it's an emotional process to dive into characters who go through such a journey. It's been a really long and intense process. When you do that, you really bond with the people you're around," he explained.

In an interview with The New York Times, Grande and Erivo opened up about some of the difficulties they experienced during the filming process. COVID-19 was one of them. "There was one time when I got COVID, there was another time when she got COVID," Erivo recalled. According to her, she and Grande "worked ourselves to the bone." And, as difficult as filming "Wicked" may have been, it seems that finishing filming was even more challenging. When they wrapped, Grande explained, "We cried every minute, every hour. We both were in a horrible state for a few days."

In 2018, rapper Mac Miller died at the age of 26 from an overdose. His shocking death came just months after his two-year relationship with Ariana Grande ended. Surely a loss like this would be a challenge for anyone. And, Grande has been open about just how much Miller's death affected her. Grande explained that in the period of time that followed his passing, "... if I'm completely honest, I don't remember those months of my life because I was (a) so drunk and (b) so sad."

In terms of her grief, Grande said, "It's pretty all-consuming." She explained, "By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f***. He was the best person ever, and he didn't deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming ... less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away." Grande continued to write songs about Miller and pay tribute to him in the years to come, proving that working through the pain of losing him was far from a quick or easy process.

When Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater met on the set of "Wicked" in 2022, they were both married to other people. While the pop star had been married to Dalton Gomez since 2021, Slater shared a son with his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, who he married in 2018. Then, in July 2023, People reported that the "Problem" songstress and her hubby had parted ways earlier in the year. Just days later, an insider informed People that Slater and Grande had started dating. 

The confidant insisted that there was no overlap between any of the relationships because the Broadway star was already separated from Jay, while Grande and Gomez ended things in January. However, that wasn't enough to convince people that the "positions" hitmaker wasn't a homewrecker who had broken up a happy marriage. Unfortunately, Grande's defense of Slater in her 2024 song, "yes, and?" totally backfired, adding even more to the fuel to the fire, with observers believing she was trying to paint herself as the victim.

While the singer remained tight-lipped as the backlash poured in, she later admitted to Vanity Fair that the negativity had affected her, professing, "Honestly, it's taken me a lot of hard work to be able to last this long and to heal certain parts of my relationship to fame and to what I do because of these tabloids that have been trying to destroy me since I was 19 years old."

Ariana Grande couldn't catch a break after dealing with all the drama surrounding her Ethan Slater romance. In June 2024, a TikTok user posted a clip showcasing how Grande had changed her voice during her appearance on the "Podcrushed" podcast, and it quickly went viral. Many commentators pointed out that her vocal changes made it sound like she was still playing her "Wicked" character, Galinda. The pop star left a comment under the video explaining that she may still have remnants of the put-on voice after playing her for two years, adding, "I intentionally change my vocal placement (high / low) often depending on how much singing I'm doing." 

The "Sam & Cat" alum defended herself once again against the unwarranted criticism during her 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, arguing, "There is a part of the world that isn't familiar with what it takes to transform your voice, whether it's singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something." She also proclaimed that this notion had sexist undertones because if a male actor continued using his character's voice offscreen (like Austin Butler following his transformation into Elvis), he would be applauded for being so devoted to his craft. However, the real meaning behind "yes, and?" makes it abundantly clear that she pays the haters no mind.

While Ariana Grande was taking part in a Q&A session with the cast of "Wicked" in 2024, the moderator inquired about when the cast members earned their SAG card. The "Victorious" star answered that she likely received it after making her big-screen debut in "Don't Look Up," in 2021. Then, the musical's director, Jon Chu, confirmed that he got his card from being an extra on Nickelodeon. At that moment, Grande realized that she likely joined the union during her years as a child star on the network and silently exclaimed, "I forgot about Nickelodeon."

While her co-star Cynthia Erivo teased her about the mistake, Grande acknowledged, "I don't remember anything." While this could be written off as a silly mistake, the former child star's story is different. Many others of her ilk have claimed that they endured a toxic work environment during their time on various Nick shows, even alleging that they were sexually and mentally abused by the adults who worked with them. Although Grande hasn't come forward with any such allegations, the press tour mishap still led Redditors to speculate that she may have suppressed her memories as a trauma response. During Grande's appearance on "Podcrushed" in 2024, she discussed how heartbreaking it was to learn everything her fellow child actors had gone through. Grande also noted that she was "reprocessing my relationship to" her work with Nickelodeon in the wake of the allegations.

As thousands of Ariana Grande fans were heading home after her concert in Manchester, England, on May 22, 2017, a suicide bomber set off explosives that killed 22 people and injured at least 800 others. About two months later, Grande and several other celebs took to the stage at the One Love Manchester charity concert to raise funds to help the victims' families, ultimately generating over $9 million for its cause. During the singer's 2019 chat with Vogue, she gushed that she was glad they were able to help the victims financially. However, Grande couldn't understand why people were clapping her on the back because she believed they "did nothing" and their efforts "didn't bring anyone back." Grande teared up as she addressed the bombings, saying, "It's not my trauma."

She continued, "It's those families'. It's their losses, and so it's hard to just let it all out without thinking about them reading this and reopening the memory for them." The singer also divulged that she sought professional help to deal with the PTSD from the incident. In the following years, the Grammy winner continued to share heartfelt social media posts on the attack's anniversary in remembrance of the victims. Shortly after the incident, tons of people got bee tattoos to show that their hearts were with them. And, in May 2018, Grande revealed on X that she had a bee inked behind her ear in solidarity too.