Ariana Grande and her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo shocked fans on the red carpet earlier this month where they appeared to be ‘much more gaunt.’
At the premiere of their new film, fans online expressed concern that Ariana looked ‘very fragile’ while others took a more playful view, saying ‘Ozempic is Ozempicking!’
Cosmetic doctors warn that the dramatic transformation in both stars could be down to their restrictive vegan diets, which require careful management.
Dr Dennis Schimpf, a plastic surgeon in South Carolina, warned that the diets leave people at risk of a protein deficiency which can cause muscles to waste away, literally leaving ‘skin and bone.’
He also said Ariana’s seemingly much more pale appearance could be due to a nutritional deficiency, that may have been caused by her restrictive diet.
Ex-vegans posting online also say they see a reflection of their struggle in Ariana’s appearance, adding that her appearance looks like ‘end-stage veganism.’
Dr Schimpf told DailyMail.com: ‘Vegan diets do tend to have issues with protein which causes muscle wasting.
‘Often, people who are strict vegans have to take significant protein supplements or add protein powders to their smoothies.’
But the doctors couldn’t rule out that Ozempic or the stress of filming and promoting a major Hollywood blockbuster played a role in their radical transformations.
The above graphic posted online shows Ariana Grande at a show in 2018 and again at the same show, also wearing a pink dress, in 2024
‘And, although they can increase protein intake in this way, the type of protein is not as effective as things like steak, chicken and fish. Supplemented protein tends to be not as effective as dietary protein.’
Ariana has been a vegan for more than a decade, revealing the shift in her diet in 2013 because of her love for animals like dogs, goats and seahorses.
Cynthia has also been a vegan since 2018, initially making the shift because her body ‘couldn’t handle red meat’ before sticking with it for ethical reasons.
Ariana’s trainer said in a 2017 interview with PopSugar that the 31-year-old survives on smoothies, salads, brown rice, tofu and stir-fry vegetables daily.
For snacks, she tends to consume berries — particularly blueberries and strawberries which Ariana said in a tweet last month were her ‘favorite’ and that she had ‘five a day’.
Dr Schimpf added: ‘Pale skin can [also] be indicative of nutritional stress, although, honestly, it is really hard to assess in these celebrities.
‘They’re not ever photographed completely untouched or without make-up or bronzer or some kind of concealer on their skin.’
The above images show Ariana Grande and her co-star Cynthia Erivo before Wicked
And, again, after the production of the Wicked movie
He said it was also possible that alcohol consumption or stress could be behind a nutritional deficiency, leading to pale skin.
And he added that the pale skin could be down to certain treatments or lasers that slightly altered its tone or hue.
Dr Michael Salzhauer, a plastic surgeon known as ‘Dr Miami’, disagreed with suggestions that Ariana’s appearance was down to a vegan diet.
‘I don’t think it’s veganism per se,’ he told DailyMail.com, ‘because I know some larger vegans — so I do wonder whether there is something else going on’.
‘The recent picture I saw of her online, she does look, I would say, “scary thin”, and you know that is concerning as a doctor.
‘If you look in her temple region (the area on the side of the head between the forehead and the ear), you can see it is hollowed out in Ariana, which happens when you have malnutrition or wasting. It is concerning when you see that.’
He suggested that Ariana may also be struggling from some sort of mental health issue, which could be behind her more gaunt appearance.
The FDA says that the average woman requires about 46 grams of protein per day, or less than one whole steak or about one-and-a-half cups of tofu.
‘I love Ariana and I don’t think people should comment on other people’s bodies at all, but there’s no way you can look at her and not think she’s not healthy,’ one user said. Pictured, at the London premiere last night
Posing alongside co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey, the star displayed slim shoulders, prominent collarbones, while her sternum was also visible. Pictured, at the London premiere last night
Research has previously shown that without careful management a vegan diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies and health problems, causing symptoms like fatigue, weakness, muscle wasting and skin issues.
Cynthia also revealed this month how the pair had been stressed while filming Wicked, with production being put on hold several times because of the Covid pandemic and then the writers strike.
She told the New York Times: ‘At first, [the strike] felt like an interruption, and then as it went on, it felt like the rest we needed. We’d worked ourselves to the bone.
‘I was really grateful because the next thing that we had to do [until the strike happened] was “defying gravity”, and it felt like the universe going, “You need your full strength to do this”.’
Dr Schimpf added: ‘Stress can lead to significant weight loss as well as alterations in eating habits.’
In a YouTube interview with First We Feast three months ago, Ariana said that her Italian family was ‘always trying to give me meatballs’.
She added that her grandmother would often also forget, or pretend to forget, that she was a vegan.
Plastic surgeons also said it was impossible not to rule Ozempic out as the potential driver behind Ariana’s sudden weight loss.
Last year, the Thank U, Next songstress clapped back at bodyshamers and insisted that she was healthier than ever. Pictured, at a Wicked photo call in Sydney earlier this month
Dr David Shokrian, a plastic surgeon in New York City, told DailyMail.com: ‘It doesn’t have to be Ozempic, it could be natural weight loss, but the speed that it happened…
‘It is just more difficult when you are already thin to become even thinner in that amount of time without a real change in diet and exercise routine.’
He added: ‘In Ozempic, you see these dramatic shifts in a short amount of time.’
The twitter account Recovering Vegan, run by journalist Giselle Bisson who was vegan for 18 years before having health problems, said on twitter/X : ‘Ariana Grande has been vegan since 2013. This looks like “end stage vegan” malnutrition, B-12 deficiency and ozalate overload.
‘She eats mainly salads and blueberries. The ponytail is probably a hairpiece.’
Oxalate overload is when there is too much oxalate in the blood, with oxalate a compound found in animals and plants that can cause kidney stones.
Another twitter user said: ‘This is what years of a vegan diet has done to Ariana Grande.
‘It’s heartbreaking watching similar deterioration happen to all my vegan friends back home.
‘I fear the propaganda runs so deep in their brain that they won’t come around until they are literally close to death.’
