According to Variety, Bill Maher (Iron Man 3, The Campaign), host of Real Time with Bill Maher, made jokes about Ariana Grande’s (Brighter Days Ahead, Don’t Look Up) weight during Friday’s episode of the show and gained a mixed response from the audience.
“I hope the aliens are here, I do. I hope they’re here and watching us and they’re going to save us,” Maher said during his opening monologue via Variety. “And, by the way, the administration this week, just a few days ago, maybe yesterday, unleashed a new trove of UFO files. Interesting things in there. Triangular craft, weird lights over an army base, a stick-like figure with large eyes. Oh, that was just an Ariana Grande video.”
As per Variety, the joke stated above received laughs and applause from the crowd but then the following joke was met with gone-too-far groans: “Please, we kid. We kid. Maybe that joke will make her eat something.”
Variety reports Grande’s rep announced on August 2 that the multihyphenate is taking a “step back from visibility” after her Eternal Sunshine tour.
“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” Grande’s rep said via Variety. “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. This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
According to Variety, during her performance on Monday, Grande explained her motivations for stepping out of the spotlight.
“Sometimes when a story comes out that’s not directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion. So I just wanted to speak to my fans directly tonight because I love you so much. The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” Grande told the crowd via Variety. “It is something that I had decided to plan that I had quietly made a long time ago and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”
The episode of Real Time with Bill Maher is available to stream on HBO Max.