Jameela Jamil is addressing criticism of her recent comments about Ariana Grande following the release of the singer’s latest music video, “Petal.” The singer’s appearance sparked major concern, and Jamil was among those who voiced their opinion. The actress has since defended her remarks, saying they were intended to express concern rather than criticize the pop star.
On July 31, Ariana Grande released the music video for her new song “Petal,” which sparked online discussion about the singer’s apparent weight loss. Per The Blast, the singer’s fans expressed concern over her health due to her gaunt appearance.
“The Good Place” actress Jameela Jamil joined the online discourse and replied on model Charli Howard’s Instagram post discussing Grande’s look. “This poor woman is possibly dying right in front of us,” Jamil wrote, adding that the singer’s team was “thoroughly irresponsible” for glamorizing her thin frame.
While many agreed with Jamil and Howard, there were a few who called out the actress for body-shaming and speaking about the singer’s weight publicly, especially since Grande previously requested that people stop making comments about her body.
The Actress Stood By What She Said
Following some backlash, Jamil posted a lengthy reply and said people missed the point of her message and turned what she said into a “b-tch fight.”
“I feel extremely bad for Ariana having almost died of anorexia myself. And it was only due to the people around me intervening INSENSITIVELY once I willfully ignored (and sort of enjoyed) their careful concern, that I survived,” Jamil wrote.
“Everyone is killing her by normalizing this. Silence is complicity when it gets this far,” Jamil continued, citing musician Karen Carpenter, who died of complications from anorexia in 1983 at 32 years old.
It’s important to note, however, that Grande has never publicly stated that she has anorexia or any other eating disorder. Experts also say that a diagnosis cannot be made based on physical appearance alone.
Jameela Jamil Discussed Mental Health And Eating Disorders
On Instagram Stories, the actress commented on the issue further, sharing the pros and cons of speaking about body image and calling it a “trolley problem,” referring to the ethical thought experiment created by a philosopher in 1967.
In the scenario, participants were asked whether they would pull a lever to divert a runaway train onto a track where one person was. If they chose not to pull the lever, the train would continue on its original track, where it would hit five people instead.
“If we comment on her body, we could harm her mental health, which would be awful and nobody wants that. If we don’t comment on her body, we run the risk of normalizing that image to hundreds of millions of teenage girls, kids and even impressionable adults consuming her content,” Jamil wrote.
The actress shared that it has been 10 years since she recovered from anorexia, and she still suffers from the effects of malnutrition. “You are not alone,” she added.
The Actress Spoke Out About ‘Extreme Thinness’ In Hollywood
In November 2025, Jamil took to TikTok and expressed her frustration over Hollywood glamorizing “extreme thinness,” pointing out that many in the business, no matter the age, have their ribs and hip bones “jutting out.”
She said she wasn’t body-shaming anyone, but rather expressing concern about the resurgence of the ultra-thin beauty ideal. “I’m incredibly worried about my peers. Every event I go to, when I hug people, it feels like they’re gonna snap in my hands,” Jamil said.
Following her attendance at BAFTA events in February, Jamil spoke out on Instagram, saying women at the awards show were “scarily thin.” “I resent this beauty standard being pushed on everyone, I resent the obedience of my industry,” she wrote.
Ariana Grande Will Be Taking A Break
Amid the public’s concern about her health, Grande announced, via her representative, that she would be taking a much-needed break after her tour wraps up in September, as The Blast reported. Many assumed she decided to step away from the spotlight after the intense public scrutiny.
During her performance in Chicago on August 3, however, the singer discussed her choice in front of her fans, saying that it wasn’t driven by recent events. Instead, she revealed she made the decision “a long time ago.”
“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 f-ck opposite,” Grande said, per Billboard.
