Ariana Grande, the woman who once ran across stages in six-inch heels like it was the most natural thing in the world, is swapping them out for cozy footwear. At least for now.
Ahead of her final two shows at London’s O2 Arena on August 31 and September 1, Grande posted to her Instagram Stories to let fans know she would not be performing in her signature towering platforms.
“My sweet petals,” she wrote, “I wanted to let you know I will need to be in cozy footwear for this evening’s show as I am bandaged up underneath, recovering from a minor injury.“
She was quick to clarify it was not a sprain or anything muscular, just a deep cut, and told fans not to fret if they noticed her “a few inches shorter than usual” or having a little trouble putting weight on that foot. “On with the show and I am on the mend,” she added.
Fans had already spotted something was off three days earlier when footage circulated on social media of Grande visibly limping during a performance of Supernatural while still in heels. The internet, being the internet, immediately remembered every meme about her legendary relationship with sky-high shoes.
For years Ariana Grande and heels have been one of pop culture’s most reliable running jokes, a woman barely five foot three who has worn six-inch platforms to airports, red carpets, TV show appearances, and everywhere in between. There was that notorious moment on The Voice where she slipped in slippers of all things, which only added to the mythology.
The Eternal Sunshine Tour, her first since the Sweetener World Tour wrapped in 2019, kicked off in June at Oakland Arena and included 41 shows across North America before closing in London. Christian Louboutin designed custom shoes for the tour including pink thigh-high boots and sculptural Cassia Lace Up heels with ribbonlike straps that wound from foot to knee.
The tour supported her seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine, released in 2024, which has had a remarkable commercial and critical run. Following the final London shows Grande has said she plans to step back from public life for a while.
Two more shows. Cozy shoes. Still Ariana.