Ariana Grande Backs Out Of ‘SNL’ Performance Ahead Of Season 44 Premiere, Kanye West To Take Her Place
It appears Ariana Grande is not quite ready to make her stage comeback. According to a Friday report by E! News, the 25-year-old pop star backed out of her commitment to perform on the premiere episode of the 44th season of Saturday Night Live and has since been replaced by Kanye West.
Earlier this week, SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels revealed that Ariana Grande decided to bow out of her scheduled appearance on the comedy sketch series, citing “emotional reasons” as the main cause.
“We had Ariana drop out for emotional reasons two days ago,” Michaels told Origins podcast host James Andrew Miller.
Luckily, producers were spared having to scramble trying to find a replacement, as it was cutting it a little too close. Michaels also revealed that rapper Kanye West came to the rescue and “stepped up” to take the “God Is A Woman” singer’s place.
“He’ll be there. The reach of the show, and the number of people that will step forward, is just somehow now, I think, probably at its peak,” he said.
With West now tapped to perform, the premiere will carry on as planned with Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Adam Driver taking on the night’s hosting duties.
It is understandable why Grande decided to take more time for herself, as she still continues to mourn the death of her ex, Mac Miller, who was found dead in his California home on Sept. 7 from a drug overdose.
Big day, big news. #SNLPremiere pic.twitter.com/r7o6nO5nyv
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) September 17, 2018
And while the “No Tears Left To Cry” singer has the support of her fiance, Pete Davidson, and the couple’s pet pig, Piggy Smallz, it seems she is still struggling to find some inner peace, as she took to her Twitter on Thursday to vent out her frustrations to her devoted fans.
Grande then gave her love to her fans while apologizing for maybe having left some of them worried for her overall well-being.
“ur angels in my life. it’s just been a tough month. i’m trying to get my work done and get back to normal and it’s hard and i’m human and tired. sorry i let u in or worried u. i shouldn’t have tweeted. i kno better,” she wrote.
The “Get Well Soon” singer’s team recently released a public statement in which they announced that following the events over the past year, Grande would be taking “some much needed time to heal and mend.” During this period, the “R.E.M.” singer is expected to spend time with her family and come up with new music without the hassle of a deadline.
Even though he skipped this year’s Emmy Awards to remain by his fiancee’s side in her time of need, Davidson is currently scheduled to make his appearance in the Season 44 premiere.
The 44th season of Saturday Night Live premieres on Saturday, Sept. 29, on NBC.
