“It’s really intense”: Ethan Slater reacts to several Ariana Grande fans missing out on her tickets after tour sells out in minutes 

Ethan Slater talked about the overwhelming demand for Ariana Grande’s 2026 Eternal Sunshine Tour after tickets sold out within minutes, leaving many fans empty-handed. In an exclusive interview with People on September 10, 2025, at the Gen V season 2 premiere, the 33-year-old Wicked actor praised Grande’s fans as “unbelievable and incredible and ferocious in their support,” calling the response to her tour announcement “a beautiful thing.”

Slater acknowledged that some fans were left frustrated after presale and general sale tickets vanished almost immediately, but said he hopes more opportunities to see Grande perform will arise in the future. In the interview published on September 14, 2025, he reportedly said,

"It’s really intense. I’ve been following along, but it’s kind of amazing that so many people want to see her shows."

Ariana Grande, 32, announced the 36-date tour on August 28, marking her first tour since 2019’s Sweetener World Tour. The Eternal Sunshine Tour will begin on June 6, 2026, in Oakland, California, and wrap on August 6, 2026, in London, England.

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Ariana Grande addresses ticket reseller controversy

On September 13, 2025, Billboard reported that Ariana Grande addressed growing frustration over inflated resale prices after the initial ticket sell-out. With no face-value tickets remaining, fans found inventory only through platforms like StubHub, SeatGeek, TickPick, and Ticketmaster’s resale marketplace, often at steep markups.

Ariana Grande shared a statement on Instagram, writing that she was “incredibly bothered” by secondary market sellers profiting off fans. She posted,

“hi my angels, i have been on set all week but i wanted to let you know that what’s been happening with the secondary ticket resellers has been brought to my attention and of course i am incredibly bothered by it. i’ve been on the phone every second of my free time fighting for a solution. i hear you and hopefully, we will be able to get more of these tickets into your hands instead of theirs. it’s not right.”

She also thanked fans for their patience, emphasizing that she and her team “see it” and are “doing everything we can” to address the problem.

“i just wanted you to know that my team and i see it and that i care very much and we will do, and are doing, everything we can. i love you so much and thank you for your patience and understanding,”

The singer had already added more tour dates following early demand, just days after winning Video of the Year at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on September 7.

Ariana Grande accepts the Video of the Year Award for “Brighter Days Ahead” onstage during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards September 07, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Image via Getty)

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Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour will support her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, which topped the Billboard 200 earlier this year. The tour will feature 36 shows across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, beginning in June and continuing through August 2026.

The initial announcement on August 28, 2025, quickly led to multiple sold-out shows. The North American leg includes major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and Chicago before moving to international dates in London and other UK cities.

The tour marks a return to the stage for Ariana Grande, who has not toured since 2019. Her previous Sweetener World Tour ran for nearly a year and grossed over $146 million, according to Billboard archives.

Edited by Devangee