Defiant Ariana Grande says ‘nothing will distort my reality’ as she makes emotional tour return amid concerns about her appearance… and mom Joan shows support

Ariana Grande broke her silence with a defiant speech during her concert in Chicago, Illinois on Monday – a day after announcing a ‘break’ from public work and appearances amid ‘ongoing scrutiny.’

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

‘It is something that I have decided, a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place. And I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time.

‘I want to share this because 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 f*** opposite.’

As the crowd roared, Grande (born Butera) continued: ‘I promise you, this is not what that is. I just want to be very, very clear. Multiple things can be true at the same time. Yes, boundaries can need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes.’

The two-time Grammy winner then declared that ‘no matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or louder to me than this love that 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 belter 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.

‘[The hiatus] was not a reactive or impulsive thing,’ the 33-year-old pop diva said onstage the United Center. ‘It is something that I have decided, a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place. And I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time’ (pictured June 6)

As the crowd roared, Grande (born Butera) continued: ‘I want to share this because 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 f*** opposite’ 

The two-time Grammy winner then declared that ‘no matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or louder to me than this love that we share in this room’ 

Hours earlier, Grande received public support from her mother Joan Grande (R, pictured in 2025), 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 was set to reunite with her Wicked: For Good leading man Jonathan Bailey (L) 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

‘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 songstress with the four-octave soprano pipes dropped 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.