Ariana Grande is back to being one of Hollywood's hottest bachelorettes –– well, kind of.
After two years of marriage, the superstar announced her separation from her husband, Dalton Gomez. The news came as a shock as fans thought she had found the one, but she instead added another person to her notorious "Thank U, Next" list.
Soon after the news broke, drama erupted as reports revealed that Grande is dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater just months after her split from Gomez. Things got even more complicated as news outlets discovered that Slater recently filed for divorce with his wife to explore his relationship with Grande, saying that his now-estranged wife never saw it coming.
As for the Victorious alum, her life has been in the spotlight, from child stardom to becoming an international pop star. Grande's accolades are extensive, with seven No.1 Billboard hits, two Grammys, 37+ billion streams on Spotify (coming second to Taylor Swift), and a ride-or-die fan base, the Arianators.
As she rose to fame, Grande never felt the need to hide her relationships from the public eye. The Cancer sign has always flaunted her love as she has been romantically linked to some of Hollywood's well-known entertainers, such as Mac Miller, Big Sean, and Pete Davidson.
Here is a roundup of Grande's past flings and relationships, from Graham Phillips to her new romance with Ethan Slater.
Graham Phillips
Date: 2008–2011
In 2008, Grande dated Riverdale star Graham Phillips. The 15-year-old teens met while on the set of the Broadway play 13: The Musical. The young couple became more serious over the years as they co-wrote the love song "Stick Around." Ultimately, the two broke up in 2011 while remaining great friends.
Jai Brooks
Date: 2012–2014
In August 2012, Jai Brooks started dating the actress after meeting through social media. The relationship seemed to be going strong until they initially broke up in 2013. Shortly after their breakup, the Yours Truly artist began dating singer Nathan Sykes. Brooks wrote a lengthy message on Twitter accusing Grande of cheating on him with Sykes. "Yes I was cheated on. Yes it does suck. Yes I was left for another man," he penned. "Once you are cheated on you should never go back, and I did because I wasn't ready to give up on love and something that was everything to me."
In the tweet, Brooks name dropped Sykes for interfering with his relationship with Grande. "Nathan may be a top bloke or a sweet person, but what he did was just completely wrong. He interfered with my life and did not respect my relationship. His actions caused me to not be able to sleep at night and not see the world as a beautiful place," Brooks stated.
Grande responded, saying, "Woke up this morning in complete and utter shock …I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. You said to me if I didn't come back to you, you'd make me look bad to the entire world. I'm no longer afraid of you or your lies anymore,” per E! News.
Despite displaying their toxic social media feud on display, the pair reunited in May 2014 as they broke things off for good nearly four months later.
Nathan Sykes
Date: 2013
Amidst Grande's on-and-off relationship with Brooks, the vocalist started seeing Nathan Sykes in August 2013. The two began dating after collaborating on a song from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones soundtrack. The fling was short-lived, as they went their separate ways in December. A source told US Weekly that the pair "weren't into [the relationship] anymore."
Big Sean
Date: 2014–2015
Before Grande and Big Sean's public relationship, the two were friends. In 2013, the pair collaborated on Ariana's single, "Right There," featuring a verse from the Detroit native.
In August 2014, the rapper and Grande were rumored to be dating after paparazzi spotted them holding hands backstage at the 2014 MTV VMAs. The musical pair hopped on another track together, "Big Mistake," featured on Grande's second studio album, My Everything.
The happy couple performed "Big Mistake" during the holiday season on ABC's Grammy Christmas special. The entertainers' onstage chemistry was undeniable as they were seen hand-in-hand at the end of the performance.
The twosome rang in the new year together. As the awards season progressed, the two attended the 2015 Grammys. Grande and Sean posed and snapped adorable pics for the press. Grande wore an over-the-shoulder white Versace dress with silver metallic accents, while Sean rocked an all-black suit.
Big Sean released his famous diss track "I Don't F*ck With You," seemingly nodding to his ex-girlfriend, the late Naya Rivera. In the song, the rapper gave Ariana a shoutout, saying, "I got a new chick that I gotta thank God for."
In April, the two called their 8-month relationship quits. Both artists' reps told US Weekly that Ariana and Sean "deeply care for each other and remain close friends."
According to TMZ, the singer had a problem with Big Sean's lyrics choice about her in "Stay Down." He rapped, "I ain't even gonna lie/I got a million dollar chick/With a billion-dollar p****y./Every time I c*m/I swear to God I feel like I be rich." Sources say that Grande felt "embarrassed" by the words.
In 2019, Grande released her fan-favorite song "Thank U, Next," as she named Big Sean on the opening track. "Thought I'd end up with Sean, but he wasn't a match," she sang. In the music video, the star listed Sean in her "Burn Book," nodding to the early aughts flick Mean Girls. Underneath Sean's name, the singer wrote "so cute, so sweet" with "could still get it" in parentheses, seemingly shooting her shot.
Three months after the video premiere, the old flames were spotted by paparazzi leaving the studio together, per TMZ. The two appeared to be extra cozy in a car together. Around this time, Sean recently split from Jhené Aiko (for the time being).
Ricky Alvarez
Date: 2015–2016
In the summer of 2015, Grande sparked romance rumors involving her background dancer Ricky Alvarez. The pair seemingly went strong as the actress spoke about their relationship in a conversation with Billboard. "We're happy. I'm a very happy girl. I have a healthy life right now, and I think that's all anyone cares to know. The end," she told the outlet in May 2016. The pair's relationship was short-lived, as they broke up two months later.
In 2019, the musician name-dropped Ricky in her "Thank U, Next" single. "Wrote some songs about Ricky/Now I listen and laugh," she penned. Alvarez posted a video on his Instagram story listening to the song.
Grande trolled the dancer, writing, "HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH I'm sorry you got the worst line @rickyrozay. It was meant v lovingly," in her Instagram repost of Alvarez's video.
Ricky responded with a personal note to Grande, saying, "nothing but gratitude. Thank you, next. (those songs are fire tho, you're welcome.)" Grande replied, "oh for sure, ty next."
Mac Miller
Date: 2016–2018
In 2016, Grande entered a high-profile relationship with beloved rapper Mac Miller. The two sparked rumors back in 2013 after they shared a kiss in a "The Way" video featuring Miller. During that time, he referred to Grande as a "homie," adding that she was dating someone else during that time.
In August 2016, the couple debuted their romance at the MTV VMAs as their PDA toward each other was on full display, snuggling up with each other the entire night.
In September, they officially confirmed their relationship as they went Instagram official. Grande posted a picture of them, captioning the post, "baabyyy," referring to Mac, who is pictured in a headlock.
Grande spoke about their relationship on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "This is so crazy. I've never had the relationship talk on a show before," she said excitedly. The legendary host asked the singer if she was happy with Miller, and she replied, gushing, "Yeah."
The musicians hopped on another song together for Miller's fourth studio album, The Divine Feminine. Grande was featured on the love song "My Favorite Part," joining her voice with Miller's on the chorus.
In 2017, Grande's concert in Manchester was targeted in a terrorist attack. The tragedy took the lives of 22 people who attended the performance. When Grande touched down in the States, Miller dropped several performances by Grande's side.
Over the year, the couple appeared to be in love. Unfortunately, their relationship took a turn as Ariana announced their breakup in May 2018. "This is one of my best friends in the whole world and my favorite people on the planet," Grande wrote on her Instagram story, addressing the news. "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!"
In the fall of that year, Mac Miller died at the age of 26. According to multiple outlets, the death was caused by an accidental overdose.
Following the news of Miller's death, Ariana took to her Instagram to post a tribute to remembering his life. "I adored you from the day I met you when I was nineteen, and I always will," she captioned a recording of Mac. "I can't believe you aren't here anymore. I really can't wrap my head around it. We talked about this. So many times. I'm so mad; I'm so sad I don't know what to do. You were my dearest friend. For so long., Above anything else," she continued. "I'm so sorry I couldn't fix or take your pain away...I hope you're okay now. Rest."
In her hit song, "Thank U, Next," she referred to Miller as an "angel," as she sang, "Wish I could say ‘thank you’ to Malcolm. 'Cause he was an angel."
Over the next few years, Grande continued to celebrate Miller's legacy.
Pete Davidson
Date: 2018
Her relationship with comedian Pete Davidson began shortly after her breakup with Miller. In March, Grande and Pete met for the first time on the set of Saturday Night Live! The two started seeing one another romantically the following May.
As their romance progressed quickly, Pete proposed in June, just a few weeks after they started dating. The Suicide Squad actor branded himself with the singer's initials on his thumb and Grande's famous Dangerous Woman mask on his neck.
The singer marked her ring finger with Davidson's name; it read "Pete" in cursive writing. The pair got six other tattoos dedicated to each other.
A month after the death of the late rapper Mac Miller, the twosome called off their engagement.
Pete was the ex that Ariana shouted out in her song "Thank U, Next," saying, "Even almost got married.And for Pete, I'm so thankful."
Mikey Foster
Date: 2019–2020
After Pete, Grande began a relationship with Mikey Foster, a member of Social House. Page Six revealed the new couple had been seeing each other for a while. The two collaborated on a joint track, “Boyfriend,” sparking romance rumors after fans witnessed their onscreen kiss in the video.
After nine months of dating, the pair split. “Ariana and Mikey were a fling that was fun, but it wasn’t ever going to lead into something super serious,” a source told Hollywood Life, adding, “Ariana really liked Mikey, but she wasn’t head over heels over him.”
Dalton Gomez
Date: 2020–2023
In February 2020, paparazzi spotted Grande and Dalton Gomez at aBar Louie in Northbridge, Calif. TMZ released PDA-filled photos of the two kissing. The outlet confirmed that Gomez is a real estate agent.
The next month, People confirmed their relationship and that they quarantined together amid the COVID-19 outbreak. During the world's uncertainty, Ariana released a video of her duet with Justin Bieber, "Stuck With U," featuring a cameo from Gomez.
Soon after, the pair went Instagram official after Grande posted a gallery of birthday photos. The slideshow included pictures of her dogs, a childhood photo, and a photo of the new couple.
The twosome announced their engagement in December. The couple married in May 2021. The ceremony was "tiny and intimate," full of family. Grande took to Instagram to share some pictures of their big day. She wore a Vera Wang white wedding dress, while Gomez sported a classic Tom Ford suit.
Since their wedding, Grande and Gomez's marriage was deemed to be going strong as they celebrated their two-year anniversary in 2023. But their union took a turn for the worse as Grande attended Wimbledon without her wedding ring, fueling divorce rumors.
TMZ confirmed that Gomez and The Voice host have been separated since January and are headed toward divorce. Their marriage was allegedly in trouble before the actress left to film Wicked. An insider told People that the pair are "quietly and lovingly working on their friendship" and remain best friends.
Grande confirmed their split as she deleted their wedding photos from her Instagram profile, hinting that she and Gomez are done.
At the beginning of October, TMZ confirmed that Grande and Gomez's divorce had settled. According to court documents, a prenup was in place, resulting in the singer paying Gomez $1.25M upfront. Her ex will also receive half the profits from the sale of their L.A. estate, in addition to the star taking care of Gomez's $25K attorney fees.
A source told the outlet that "a strong mutual love" exists between the two parties. "They wanted to make sure everything was done right in lockstep with one another."
Amid the divorce, Gomez has seemingly moved on and was spotted kissing actress Maika Monroe (Watcher) at a bar in L.A.
Ethan Slater
Date: July 2023
In the wake of Grande's divorce announcement, news broke that Grande quickly moved on from Gomez to her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. The pair had been dating for months while the movie was in production.
As for Slater, he is currently married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, but has filed for divorce, per TMZ. The two have been together for ten years and married in 2018. They share a son, whom Jay gave birth to in August 2022. According to US Weekly, Slater's estranged wife was blindsided when she learned the actor wanted a divorce. "Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce. Lilly never saw it coming," the source stated.
Another source told the outlet that Grande and Slater are keeping things low-key regarding the exes. "It's understandable that it's difficult to see an ex move on, especially in such a public way, and they are trying to be as respectful as possible," the insider said.
A TMZ source revealed details about the new couple, saying, "Ariana and Ethan are dating; however, things are fairly new." They added, "Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife. Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other," seemingly debunking Grande's cheating rumors. "They have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other's company," the source assured.
Slater's estranged wife spoke to multiple outlets about the drama surrounding her family. “[Ariana’s] the story really. Not a girl's girl. My family is just collateral damage," Jay told Page Six.
She revealed to TMZ that her No.1 priority is her 1-year-old son. "I'm focused on my son and doing my best to navigate a spotlight I have never wanted or experienced before," adding that she has been "watching with horror" as new outlets release stories about her life. "I am asking for privacy and respect as an individual who is not in the entertainment industry and as a mom. I ask to be left alone to rebuild my life and raise the beautiful boy I gave birth to last year," she emphasized.
In recent news, Grande is giving Slater space for him to work things out with his estranged wife. According to TMZ, Slater and Jay speak every day about their son. The Wicked actor initiated his intent to co-parent with Jay.
In September, the two made their public debut as a couple. They were spotted on a date night at Disneyland, per TMZ. Grande and Slater were photographed patiently waiting in line for a ride. Additionally, a video emerged of them strolling arm in arm through the amusement park. They were accompanied by a big group that included her mother and brother.
Originally published on Complex.