Adele stepped out for a rare public appearance, but it wasn’t long before social media users were once again dissecting her appearance – comments the singer has long called “ridiculous.”
Keep reading to learn more.
After months away from the spotlight, singer Adele made a rare appearance July 5 at the Formula One British Grand Prix in Silverstone, where she was joined by her 13-year-old son, Angelo.
“So, my son is really into karting and things like that,” the Grammy-winning superstar told F1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the McLaren Racing headquarters, per the Daily Mail.
“I don’t know many teenagers who have a passion so I’m really trying to encourage it. He’s obsessed but I’m also obsessed,” the “Skyfall” singer said of her shared interest with Angelo, whom she shares with ex-husband Simon Konecki.
“And I don’t think I ever expected to bond with my soon-to-be 14-year-old son about something so passionately where we like argue about drivers. But it’s fun to have that interaction with a teenage boy in 2026, I wasn’t expecting it.”
The appearance attracted plenty of attention, but instead of focusing on Adele’s support for racing, or her mother-son outing, many social media users fixated on the 38-year-old’s face, weight and age, reviving the same conversation she has spent years trying to move past.
‘Hurt my feelings’
In 2020, the “Hello” singer surprised fans after losing around 100 pounds over roughly two years, but she has repeatedly insisted the transformation was never driven by appearance.
“It was because of my anxiety. Working out, I would just feel better,” the singer told British Vogue in 2025. “It was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone.”
The singer explained that exercise became part of rebuilding her mental well-being rather than chasing a particular look.
“I got quite addicted to it. I work out two or three times a day…I needed to get addicted to something to get my mind right,” she continued. “It could have been knitting, but it wasn’t. People are shocked because I didn’t share my ‘journey’…I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body.”
She has also made it clear that public commentary about her appearance didn’t suddenly appear after she lost weight.
“The most brutal conversations were being had by other women about my body. I was very f***ing disappointed with that. That hurt my feelings,” Adele said, according to People. “My body has been objectified my entire career. I’m either too big or too small; I’m either hot or I’m not.”
Adele spotted at Silverstone
Despite her choosing to dismiss critics, the “brutal conversations” resurfaced following her appearance at the British Grand Prix, one of her first public outings in months after stepping back from music to focus on her personal life.
Wearing a custom McLaren T-shirt, oversized sunglasses and a necklace reading “Mummy,” Adele and Angelo joined about 564,000 fans at the Silverstone Circuit – record breaking crowds who turned out for a weekend of Formula One racing.
Before long, photos of the “Someone Like You” singer from the event were circulating across social media, where some users claimed she looked “almost unrecognizable.”
‘It’s bull**it’
One person wrote, “She suddenly aged 20 years. As often happens with a strict diet.”
Others speculated about cosmetic procedures, with comments including, “Ozempic + Botox,” while another joked, “That’s Axel Rose.”
Not all of the reactions were critical, however.
Many fans defended the singer, arguing that Adele should be able to enjoy a day out with her son without becoming the subject of relentless commentary about her appearance.
“Adele is aging with dignity; she hasn’t filled her face with Botox and has kept her wrinkles and facial expressions,” one supporter wrote.
Another slammed the online reaction altogether.
“There is always the group of insecure and miserable men who think they have a right to comment on women’s age or body… insane.”
For Adele, the attention is nothing new.
“It’s ridiculous,” she told British Vogue of the public fascination with her appearance. “I think it’s that people love to portray a divorced woman as spinning out of control, like, ‘Oh she must be crackers.’ It’s bulls**t.”
What do you think of Adele’s incredible transformation? Please let us know your thoughts!
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