Ariana Grande Makes First TV Appearance Since Stepping Away From the Public Eye

Ariana Grande is seemingly ready to return to the public eye as she makes her first TV appearance since taking a hiatus.

The Wicked star surprised the audience by appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Nov. 8 alongside her Focker-in-Law co-stars, Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.

While chatting with Fallon, the trio performed “O Christmas Tree,” putting the late-night talk show host in the holiday spirit. The Focker-In-Law castmates also performed a skit called “My Family’s Money.”

Grande also shared that she was “so honored” to be asked to join the upcoming comedy, noting she “fell in love” with the fourth installment of the Meet the Parents franchise.

“It was very surreal,” Grande pointed out about the film.

She also said she met Stiller when he directed her in an orgy scene for Zoolander 2. “So right off the bat we had a comfortability.”

Grande also said that the first scene she shares with Stiller in the upcoming comedy has her giving him the Heimlich.

“We met the stunts team, and they were amazing, and they were like, ‘Alright, Ben, bend over. Ariana, you’ll get behind and just put your arms around him,’” she recalled. “My mom was like, ‘How was your first day, honey?’ I was like, ‘Well, I gave Ben Stiller the Heimlich.”

Grande added, “It was crazy.”

The surprise TV appearance came a little over three months after Grande’s rep confirmed she was stepping back from the public eye.

“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” the rep shared at the time. “[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 rep further shared, “This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”