Highlights
- Jameela Jamil criticised Ariana Grande's team over the singer's Petal music video.
- The comments came as Ariana Grande announced she would step back from public-facing work after her tour.
- Grande has previously spoken about the impact of years of scrutiny over her appearance.
Jameela Jamil has criticised Ariana Grande's management and those around the singer following the release of the Petal music video, arguing that they should have done more to protect the star rather than amplify public discussion around her appearance.
The comments came just days before Grande announced she would take a break from public-facing work after completing her Eternal Sunshine tour, citing "endless, ongoing public scrutiny" as a key reason for stepping back.
Jameela Jamil calls out Ariana Grande's team
Grande's Petal music video, released on 31 July, sparked widespread online discussion about the singer's appearance. The video features Grande as an aspiring performer named Pepper, who is repeatedly dismissed by older studio executives before turning a garden chainsaw on them.
Among those responding was actor and activist Jameela Jamil, who posted a now-deleted Instagram comment criticising the singer's team.
"This poor woman is possibly dying right in front of us," Jamil wrote. "This outfit is designed to accentuate the thinness for discourse. Her team are thoroughly irresponsible for not guiding her away from this deeply damaging image for her young fans to see so glamorized."
Model and eating disorder recovery advocate Charli Howard also criticised the release, saying she believed the imagery could negatively affect young women and girls. Howard called on Grande's management, family and record label to prioritise the singer's wellbeing and urged that the video be withdrawn.
Grande announces break from public-facing work
Shortly after the video's release, Grande's representatives confirmed she would take "a step back from visibility" after the Eternal Sunshine tour concludes.
In a statement, her team said she wanted to finish the tour "healthily and happily" before taking "a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny."
The announcement also confirmed that Grande had withdrawn from the 2027 London production of Sunday in the Park With George, where she had been due to reunite with her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey. Producers said the musical will go ahead as planned, with her role to be recast.
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Singer has previously addressed body scrutiny
The renewed debate follows years of public conversation about Grande's appearance. In a 2024 interview, the singer described feeling like "a specimen in a petri dish" since she was a teenager, saying criticism continued regardless of how she looked.
She also said comments about people's bodies, faces and appearance were "dangerous" and later reshared the interview on social media as "a loving reminder to all."
Grande is set to conclude her Eternal Sunshine tour with a 10-night residency at London's O2 Arena, with the final show on 1 September marking the end of the tour before her planned break from public life.
