Ariana Grande has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager, meaning her private life has never exactly been all that private. Ariana has been pretty open about sharing her relationships over the years, and they’ve been the source of inspiration for some of her best songs (“Thank U Next,” anyone?). Check out everyone Ariana has dated—from her ex-boyfriend Graham Phillips to her marriage (!) with ex-husband Dalton Gomez and current 'ship with Ethan Slater.
2008–2011: Graham Phillips
Graham and Ariana starred in the Broadway musical 13 and apparently started dating while working together. They’re still friends, and Graham came to Ariana’s defense during Doughnut Gate™, saying, “She’s such a sweet girl. It’s tough. We all say things that we regret. I don’t think it speaks to her character at all.”
TBD how often Graham and Ariana hang out these days, but they had a 13 reunion back in 2016:
And in 2019, they were spotted going to ~celeb hot spot~ Carbone (IYKYK).
2012–2014 (on and off): Jai Brooks
After briefly dating in 2012 (side note: Jai accused Ari of cheating with Nathan, which she denied), these two got back together in 2014 only to break up again. A source told Us Weekly, “It has not been an easy few months. Jai just wasn’t as supportive as he could have been.”
2013: Nathan Sykes
Ariana dated The Wanted’s Nathan Skyes in 2013—around the time their song “Almost Is Never Enough” (which I definitely still fully listen to on repeat) debuted.
According to People, Ariana confirmed their split in January 2014, saying they ended things because of distance. The ’ship doesn’t appear to have made too much of a lasting impression on Ariana, because Nathan was not name-dropped in “Thank U Next,” which he told TMZ was “good.”
2014–2015: Big Sean
Ariana and Big Sean dated for eight months before breaking up, and their reps released a joint statement saying, “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.”
Meanwhile, a source told Us Weekly that, “They made the decision to part ways because their conflicting touring schedules would keep them apart over the next year.”
And, yes, for all of you wondering, Big Sean was indeed name-checked on “Thank U Next,” when Ariana sang, “Thought I’d end up with Sean / But he wasn’t a match.”
2015–2016: Ricky Alvarez
Ricky and Ariana dated during her aforementioned Doughnut Debacle and got close when he was working as one of her backup dancers. A source told E! News re: their split, “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.”
According to Victoria Monét, the song “Moonlight” is about a romantic night Ariana and Ricky shared.
“That’s what Ricky called her one night. I think it was after their first kiss,” she told Billboard. “He wanted to kiss her for a long time, and she was really impressed. He’s such a gentleman, and the song is a great little bookmark of the start of their relationship.”
P.S. Here’s Ricky reacting to the “Thank U Next” lyrics “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh.”
2016–2018: Mac Miller
Ariana and Mac Miller dated for two years before parting ways in May 2018. After Mac’s tragic death in September 2018, Ariana told Vogue in 2019 that “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.” Over the years, she's penned songs alluding to their relationship, from "Better Off" to "Ghostin'."
2018: Pete Davidson
Who can forget the whirlwind relationship that was Pete and Ari? The matching tattoos! The Starbucks cups! The lollipops! This!
It was all a lot! But after a fast-moving few months that included an engagement, Pete and Ariana parted ways in October. A month later, he told Paper magazine, “I don’t ever make public statements about relationships ’cause I just don’t think it’s right, you know? I usually express how I feel about anything through work. So I hope she’s well. I hope she’s very happy. And that’s pretty much it. And print doesn’t usually age well.”
Anyway, here’s this:
2019–2020: Mikey Foster
Ariana and Social House’s Mikey Foster sparked dating rumors thanks to their vibes in this music video:
But it was short-lived, and they ended things in early 2020—before Ariana started seeing Dalton Gomez. Which brings us to....
2020–2023: Dalton Gomez
Ariana and Dalton got together (and then got married) right around the COVID-19 pandemic, which means they had several years of just the two of them. And for a while, things were great! But the couple split up in July 2023—with sources saying distance (at the time, Ariana had been in England filming Wicked) played a big part. On September 18, 2023, the couple officially filed for divorce.
(Maybe) July 2023–Now: Ethan Slater
To the shock of many/all, TMZ reported that Ariana was dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater shortly after her split from Dalton Gomez went public. According to Us Weekly, Ariana and Ethan got together after Ethan broke things off with his wife Lilly and after Ariana ended things with Dalton. A source at the time explained, “Ariana and Ethan are dating. However, things are fairly new. Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife. Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other but they have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other’s company.”
Since then, outlets have reported that the pair moved to New York together and met each other's families. Ethan reportedly received the stamp of approval from Ari's friends and family, and fans think Ari may have addressed their romance through songs on her new album, Eternal Sunshine (see: "The Boy Is Mine," "Eternal Sunshine," etc.). In conversation with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, Ari opened up about facing the "hovering dread" that came with this new era of her life—including her new romance.
"I try not to catastrophize. I try to stay present," she said. "I think that’s a lot of our work as human beings is to not live in the past or in the future but to try and just be right here and focus on the present."
She continued, "But of course, there’s that hovering dread of what could happen…you have to learn to live with it. You have to learn what tools work for you and how to befriend it, how to shine a light on all your little monsters and see them and look at them and say, ‘Okay, I see you. 'How can we live together? How can we survive together? How can we get through what we need to get through and work on this together?'"
The more you know!
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