Ariana Grande's Love Life Is the Ultimate 'Thank U, Next'
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande’s relationships have been making headlines for years, and the singer herself hasn't shied away from referencing her past beaus in her music (”Thank U, Next” anyone?). In fact, Grande was already discussing the complexities of falling in love all the way back in 2013, when she told Seventeen, "Love is a really scary thing, and you never know what's going to happen. It's one of the most beautiful things in life, but it's one of the most terrifying. It's worth the fear because you have more knowledge, experience, you learn from people, and you have memories."
The former Nickelodeon star has several high-profile relationships under her belt, including an engagement to Pete Davidson, a multi-year romance with the late Mac Miller and a short-lived marriage to Dalton Gomez. Now she's in a somewhat controversial relationship with Wicked costar Ethan Slater, which reportedly started when the two were both married. (Grande addresses some of the rumors in her latest album, Eternal Sunshine.)
Keep reading for everything you need to know about Ariana Grande’s current boyfriend, ex husband and past relationships.
Related: Everything to Know About the 'Wicked' Movie
Who is Ariana Grande's boyfriend now?
Ariana Grande is reportedly dating her Wicked costar, Broadway actor Ethan Slater. The relationship was confirmed by sources back in July 2023, but there are indications that the two were together as early as March 2023. The couple met when they were both cast in the film adaptation of Wicked, which began shooting in December 2022.
Ethan Slater is not necessarily a household name like Grande. However, he is famous in his own right, especially to fans of Broadway musicals. Slater is best known for playing the title character in the 2017 Broadway adaptation of SpongeBob SquarePants. He received a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as the Nickelodeon fan-favorite character.
Related: Ariana Grande Seemingly Slams Haters Criticizing Her Relationship with Ethan Slater in New Song
Are Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater still together?
By all accounts, as of this writing, Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater are still together. The two were most recently seen out together on a dinner date with the singer’s father in New York City just a few days before Christmas 2023. In addition, it was reported that Grande and her family went to see Slater star in the new revival of Spamalot on Broadway.
At the beginning of 2024, a source told Entertainment Tonight, “Ariana and Ethan are spending more and more time together. They have become more comfortable with the idea of their relationship being more public. Things are positive and they’re very close. They have a natural connection. There’s no pressure to be anyone that they’re not. They’re focused on the here and now and excited to continue to see where their relationship goes and watch it blossom."
Who is Ethan Slater's wife?
Ah yes, now to the controversial beginning of Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s romance. When Grande and Slater initially began filming together in December 2022, the two were both married—to other people. Slater married his high-school classmate/friend turned partner Lilly Jay in November 2018, after dating since 2012. In fact, the couple had welcomed their first child together sometime in 2022, which Slater confirmed in January 2023. He filed for divorce from Jay on July 26, 2023, the same month his relationship with Grande was publicly confirmed. By all accounts, Jay was blindsided by the divorce.
Lilly Jay is not in the entertainment world herself; instead, she works as a psychology lab assistant and clinical psychology extern. She’s also known for her advocacy for sexual assault survivors and has written about her own experience. In 2014, she helped launch the “It’s On Us” campaign from then-President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
After the news broke about her impending divorce, Jay reportedly told Page Six, “[Ariana’s] the story, really. Not a girl’s girl. My family is just collateral damage.”
Is Ariana Grande still married?
When Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater began dating, they were both still married to other people. Grande was married to luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez. The two began dating in early 2020 before getting engaged in December of that year. They tied the knot on May 15, 2021 in an intimate ceremony held at the home that they shared in Montecito.
Sadly, the relationship was not meant to be as Grande filed for divorce in September 2023, a couple months after the news broke that she was dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater. The divorce was finalized a month later in October 2023.
Of the divorce, a source told PEOPLE, “Dalton is very religious and was committed to making it work, but Ariana had moved on."
Related: Ariana Grande Quickly Settles Divorce With Ex Dalton Gomez
How many times has Ariana Grande been engaged?
Ariana Grande has been engaged two times so far. Her second engagement was with her now ex-husband Dalton Gomez in December 2020. The singer’s first engagement was part of her headline-grabbing, whirlwind romance with comedian Pete Davidson in 2018. That engagement lasted only four months before the on-again-off-again couple called it quits for good in October 2018.
How long did Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson date?
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson actually met for the first time a few years before they began dating. On the night Davidson made his debut on Saturday Night Live on Sept. 27, 2014, Grande just happened to be the episode’s musical guest. But the two did not begin dating until around four years later, with their relationship making its public debut in May 2018 at the Billboard Music Awards.
The next month, in June 2018, the couple got engaged, with Davidson proposing to the singer with a $93,000 pear-shaped ring designed by celebrity jeweler Greg Yuna. Sadly, by October 2018, the couple revealed they had broken things off.
A source dished, “It was way too much too soon. It’s not shocking to anyone.”
That means, altogether, the couple dated for about five months, more or less.
What happened with Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson?
It is not known what officially happened between Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson in 2018 to end their short and sweet romance. At the time, a source told Us Weekly in part, “They realized it happened too quick and too early.”
It has been speculated that the death of Grande’s ex Mac Miller on Sept. 7, 2018 of an accidental overdose contributed to the couple splitting around a month later.
Davidson spoke about that time a couple years after the breakup, in a 2020 interview. “I totally got it. 'Cause we were only together for a few months—she'd even tell you this. I was like, 'Listen, I get it, do whatever you gotta do, I'll be here.' I think I said, 'I'll be here until you don't want me to be here.’” He continued, “I pretty much knew it was over after that. That was really horrible. I can't imagine what that s--- is like. That s--- is just terrible. All I do know is that she really loved the s--- out of him and she wasn't putting on a show or anything. That was f---ed up."
Related: Ariana Grande's Net Worth In 2024, From Nickelodeon to 'Thank U Next' and Beyond
How long did Ariana Grande and Mac Miller date?
Ariana Grande and Mac Miller began dating in 2016. The two had already collaborated on a few songs together by the time they got together romantically, including 2013’s “The Way.” Their friendship began with a 2012 Tweet from the singer, when she posted while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: “Watching the parade from the couch all warm and cozy in our apartment. What are you thankful for at the moment?”
Miller responded, “the velvet revival” and sparked a conversation that ended with the rapper requesting that the two team up for a duet—which they did a little while later on a cover of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
The two didn’t start dating until 2016, with their romance going public at the MTV VMA’s in August of that year. The relationship lasted until May 2018, when Grande took to Instagram to confirm their break up.
Grande wrote in part in a post on her IG stories, “This is one of my best friends in the whole world and favorite people on the planet. I respect and adore him endlessly and am grateful to have him in my life in any form, at all times regardless of how our relationship changes or what the universe holds for each of us!” She ended the message with, “unconditional love is not selfish. It is wanting the best for someone even if at the moment, it’s not you.”
What happened with Ariana Grande and Mac Miller?
It would appear that Mac Miller’s problems with substance abuse contributed greatly to the end of his relationship with Ariana Grande. Grande has been quite vocal about the rapper’s substance abuse issues impacting their relationship over the years.
When fans of the rapper tried to blame Grande for Miller’s subsequent DUI following their breakup, the singer wrote in part on Twitter, “How absurd that you minimize female self-respect and self-worth by saying someone should stay in a toxic relationship because he wrote an album about them, which btw isn’t the case (just Cinderella is ab me). I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be. I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety and prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course) but shaming/blaming women for a man’s inability to keep his shit together is a very major problem. Let’s please stop doing that.”
She also told Vogue in 2019, “...by no means was what we had perfect. He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming...less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.”
Even so, it would appear Grande was devastated when Miller died of an apparent accidental overdose in September 2018, just a few months after their breakup.
Following his death, the singer took to Instagram to write, “I adored you from the day I met you when I was nineteen and I always will. I can't believe you aren't here anymore.”
When did Ariana Grande date Big Sean?
Ariana Grande dated Big Sean for eight months from October 2014 until spring 2015. They even collaborated on several songs together, including “Best Mistake,” “Research” and “Right There.”
When the pair ended their relationship, the statement released through both their reps read, “They both deeply care for each other and remain close friends. We kindly ask that the media respect their wish for privacy regarding this personal matter at this time.”
Related: Ariana Grande Opens Up for the First Time About Cosmetic Work She's Gotten
Are Ariana Grande and Big Sean still friends?
It would appear that Ariana Grande and Big Sean have remained on friendly terms after the end of the eight month long relationship in 2015. Four years later in 2019, the singer was spotted sitting in the front passenger seat of her ex’s car alongside the rapper. In fact, Big Sean was even name-checked in Grande’s ode to her exes, 2018’s “Thank U, Next.”
The lyrics referring to Sean were, “Thought I'd end up with Sean / But he wasn't a match.”
Grande discussed playing the song to her ex in an interview, “I had sent [the song] to Sean and he loved it. He loved it. It was very funny. He was like, 'D--n, I'm the first one, huh?' And I was like, 'I mean, you know, I went kind of in order.' He was very supportive, he loved it."
Who is Ariana Grande's ex Ricky?
After Ariana Grande and Big Sean broke up, Grande moved on with one of her backup dancers, Ricky Alvarez. The two got together in the summer of 2015 but called it quits just two months later.
A source revealed to E! News, “She broke up with him. He didn’t cheat or anything. They just found it difficult to make it work. They are still friends though.”
It would appear that the two did manage to stay friends as Alvarez got a shout out in “Thank U, Next” with the lyrics, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh.”
When Alvarez posted a video of himself listening to the song to social media, Grande responded with, “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH IM SORRY YOU GOT THE WORST LINE @rickyrozay it was meant v lovingly.”
The two were even spotted hanging out in New York City as recently as 2019.
