Ariana Grande’s latest photo for the upcoming movie Wicked sparked concern among her fanbase because she appeared noticeably thin.
The photos are part of the film’s promotional campaign leading up to its theatrical release on November 22. The actress is seen wearing a strapless dress with a plunging neckline that draws attention to her clearly visible sternum.
“She has always been small but looks skeletal. Her hair has also thinned out a lot,” wrote one viewer.
Her latest images follow concerns raised by her appearance at Wicked‘s Los Angeles premiere last Saturday (November 9) at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where fans were quick to notice what they labeled an “anorexic” look.
Ariana Grande’s latest photo for the movie Wicked has fans concerned over her weight, with some speculating that she is suffering from an eating disorder
The conversation around the actress’ weight went back and forth, with some shocked and others worried about her look and the impact that it would have on the body image of the movie’s target audience. Others defended her, feeling that the negative comments were in bad taste and body-shamed Grande.
“She’s playing a dangerous game, and I, too, played that game until I lost 40% of my hair due to lack of nutrition,” wrote one concerned fan. “It was a complete nightmare, and I would’ve rather been a healthy weight with beautiful hair.”
“The body shaming of Ariana Grande is crazy. When are we going to realize we don’t need to comment on other people’s bodies?” another stated.
Fans also noted that the singer’s co-star, Cynthia Erivo, appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight leading up to the premiere, going so far as to joke that the two were engaging in a “skinny off.”
Ariana uploaded a video in August asking netizens not to comment on her body and saying that, contrary to their opinions, she’s healthier than ever
Back in August, Grande herself addressed the concerns of her fans, asking them not to “comment on [her] body,” after a photo comparison between her current look, and her appearance after being named Billboard’s 2018 Woman of the Year, began going viral on social media.
Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo dazzle at the ‘Wicked’ premiere in LA. pic.twitter.com/myB2PrFUCt
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 10, 2024
“The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of it,” Grande said in a video uploaded on TikTok. “I was on a lot of antidepressants, drinking on them, and eating poorly. It was the lowest point in my life.”
The 2018 photos show the actress with long, silky, dark hair and noticeably rounder cheeks, leading netizens to speculate about her suffering from a disorder, stating that she may have been using aggressive weight loss methods like Ozempic.
“The body that you consider to be my healthiest wasn’t, in fact, healthy,” Grande stated.
Cynthia Erivo has also made headlines leading up to the film’s release for clashing with fans and criticizing the actresses that had auditioned for the movie
Ariana Grande’s weight hasn’t been the only conversation tarnishing the movie’s promotional tour. Fans have also criticized Cynthia Erivo for her reaction to a mid-October fan edit of the film’s poster, as Bored Panda previously reported.
“This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen,” Erivo wrote, labeling the image as “degrading” and stating that it was an attempt to “[erase] her.”
The creator of the edit later took to social media to defend themselves, stating that the changes were made out of love for the original Broadway poster and in no way an attempt to offend the actress.
“It’s not that serious! What a snowflake!” one fan wrote, with many others echoing their sentiment.
While Erivo later regretted the controversy her comments caused, stating that she should’ve “called [her] friends“ before making them, she soon made headlines after “throwing shade“ at the actresses who had auditioned for the role of Glinda before it went to Grande.
“Thank goodness, because it was not the two ladies that I was auditioning with,“ she said in an interview with The New York Times, leading readers to label her as “hateful“ and a “PR disaster.”
Netizens expressed how the controversies surrounding the movie have diminished their interest, with some stating that they are now considering Wicked a “hard pass”
“Imagine, with the right cast, this film had the potential to be a hit. Instead, they got a lead actress that thinks that her role was specifically made for her and is abusive towards the stage show’s fans,” one reader stated concerning Erivo.
“This film deserves to bomb and will be less successful than Cats.”
“I am so gutted [Ariana] was allowed to be Glinda. Oz fans deserved better,” another said.
“I’m already tired of this movie and all the promos,” wrote one viewer. “Ariana has some disorder. Why is she always pulling little scared girl faces?”
The movie’s LA premiere coincided with a controversy created by Mattel erroneously printing the URL of an NSFW website on the back of its Elphaba and Glinda dolls. This caused a never-before-seen upsurge in visits to the site and elicited concern from parents.
Fans analyzed several photos of the singer, pointing out exactly why they believe she may need help
I don’t wanna be that person, but Ariana looks unhealthy af. pic.twitter.com/2HVGKjdT1W
— inmymendes (@antoxlipa) November 11, 2024
Her upper arms are very skinny and so are her legs. You dont get this skinny without either having an eating disorder or some kind illness. This isn’t hate, she’s genuinely so fucking stunning, but someone rarely gets this skinny without under-eating pic.twitter.com/DY40kXsq2j
— cait🪼 (@zombiethrift) November 10, 2024
No they don’t💀 look at the faces. Not to mention look at Arianas insta😐 it’s clear something is going on. Arianas eyes are also sunken in as well as her hair has gotten so much thinner which are both signs of an eating disorder. pic.twitter.com/JYbNgKGnZP
— user200624 (@MinxJungxPark) November 10, 2024
“She wants us to believe she’s the healthiest she’s ever been?” asked one viewer, with others joining in to question the actress’s health
