Bill Maher made a joke about Ariana Grande‘s weight during a recent episode of Real Time.
READ MORE: Ariana Grande – ‘Petal’ review: conflicted pop songs under the spotlight.
The joke, which aired during Friday’s (August 7) episode of his show drew mixed reactions from the live audience.
The joke comes in light of public commentary surrounding Grande’s body and appearance, which intensified online after she recently released the video for ‘Petal’, the title track from her new album.
Initially, Maher received laughs and applause from the crowd; however, his follow-up joke was met with groans: “Please, we kid. We kid. Maybe that joke will make her eat something.”.
The White House released a new wave of UFO files. Sightings include a triangular craft in the sky, high-speed orbs near an army base, and a stick-like figure with large eyes, but that was just Ariana Grande.
Bill Maher (@billmaher) August 8, 2026.
It comes after the pop star’s representatives confirmed last weekend that she would be “taking a step back from visibility” following her current ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour.
She has also withdrawn from the upcoming West End revival of Sunday In The Park With George, in which she had been due to appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.
It would have been her West End debut at London’s Barbican Centre, starting next summer.
Grande has since commented on reports about her break, taking a moment during a recent concert to “clear the air about a few things”.
She went on: “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 far opposite. This is not what that is.
And I just want to be very, very clear: multiple things can be true at the same time.
HER PUTTING HER PHONE IN HER BOOT AT THE END ☠️ we love uuuu @arianagrande #arianagrande #eternalsunshinetour.
The initial statement about Grande’s decision to step back from public life came shortly after she released her eighth studio album, ‘Petal’, on July 31.
Her reps said she would be “taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. The message stated that Grande would end the tour “on a high note, both healthily and happily”.
People quoted a source close to the star, who emphasised that she was in good health. “She performs a very physical show, and there is a lot of athleticism involved,” they commented.
Last month, it was reported that Grande had also pulled out of the new season of American Horror Story due to touring commitments.
She is still set to appear alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in the upcoming Meet The Parents sequel Focker-In-Law, which is due to be released in November.
Grande is scheduled to play two more concerts at Chicago’s United Center tomorrow (Wednesday August 5) and Thursday (August 6). She’ll then head to the UK for a 10-night residency at The O2 in London between August 15 and September 1.
In a three-and-a-half-star review of ‘Petal’, NME wrote: “Rather than turning heartache into collective joy and wonder – which has always been her greatest strength – ‘Petal’ pulls inward, beseeching the listener to hold empathy for her experiences, even as she reportedly looks to step back from public life following the ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour.”.
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Fontes
Informação baseada em material público de NME, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
