This is the crazy dating history of Ariana Grande
Ariana who is happily single? I think it will snow in July before that happens. In five years, she got married and divorced, everyone thought she was in love with Cynthia Erivo, broke up a family to date a co-star, that ended, and now she is back with her ex from ten years ago. Wow. That's quite a mouthful, that's true. But it's really like that. It seemed for a moment that Ariana would take some time for herself after her breakup with Ethan, but she was spotted a few days ago with her ex Ricky again. Curious who came before him? Then you’re in for a treat: this is the crazy dating history of our favorite singer.
1. Ricky Alvarez: the ex who never completely disappeared (2015-2016 and 2026)
For many casual fans, Ricky is mainly ‘that guy from the donut scandal’, but for true Arianators, he is much more than that. Ariana and Ricky met when he worked as a dancer on her Honeymoon Tour. The two started dating in 2015 and their relationship felt remarkably relaxed compared to her later, much more public romances. Ricky was often seen backstage, appeared in vlogs, and seemed to be a constant presence in her inner circle.
And yes, then came that infamous donut affair. In July 2015, Ariana and Ricky were filmed licking donuts in a store in California and putting them back in the display. The internet went completely wild, Ariana received tons of criticism and ultimately had to publicly apologize. Ricky was literally next to her during one of the biggest PR crises of her career. The relationship ultimately did not last and they broke up in 2016. But interestingly, the two remained friends. Ricky has regularly appeared in her surroundings over the years and now it seems that friendship may have grown into something more. The rumors started when Ariana changed the lyrics about Ricky in her song ‘Thank U, Next’ from ‘Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh’ to ‘and they kinda slap’, then to ‘I know he still got my back’ and finally to ‘we always find our way back’. Less than a week later, the two were spotted arm in arm in New York, so that says enough.
@ciaracroke the hard launch was insane #arianagrande #ariana #eternalsunshine #thankunext #fyp
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
2. Graham Philips (2008 – 2011)
Ariana’s first known relationship was with actor and singer Graham Phillips. The two met during the Broadway musical 13, in which they both performed. At that time, Ariana was still at the beginning of her career. Behind the scenes, they fell in love and that love lasted for a while. Even when Ariana became famous through Victorious, the relationship remained strong and private. After about three years, they broke up because their careers went in different directions.
After the breakup, they remained friends. Years later, they were seen together again during a dinner. This raised a lot of questions, but they never got back together.
3. Jai Brooks (2012-2014)
About a year later, Ariana fell in love with Australian YouTuber Jai Brooks. Their love story didn't start because they were friends, but because of an online prank. Jai and his twin brother tried in all sorts of crazy ways to get Ariana's attention, which ultimately resulted in a date. They soon started dating, but this relationship was not really stable. They broke up several times, only to be seen together again. However, the distance proved to be too great.
Just like the beginning, this relationship ended online. Jai posted an open letter accusing Ariana of having feelings for Nathan Sykes while they were still together. Whether she actually cheated is uncertain. But it is quite coincidental that she started a relationship with Nathan after Jai.
4. Nathan Sykes (2014)
The drama continues. During the recording of the duet Almost Is Never Enough for the movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones the two singers got to know each other. During this period, she was still in an on-and-off relationship with Jai, which he couldn't handle. However, the relationship with Nathan only lasted a few months. Was it worth the end of her relationship with Jai? Apparently not.
View this post on Instagram
5. Big Sean (2014 – 2015)
After Nathan, Ariana entered into a relationship with rapper Big Sean. The two had met before and worked together on various songs, including Best Mistake. During joint performances, fans noticed that the chemistry between them was very good. Not long after, they made their relationship official. They grew into one of the most popular celebrity couples of that time. They attended red carpets together, shared loving photos, and seemed super happy. However, the relationship did not last longer than eight months.
According to the two, they broke up due to their busy work schedules. There seemed to be no bad blood, as they always remained respectful towards each other. In the song Thank U, Next Ariana even mentions that he is the first ex from whom she learned something. Many fans saw this as her first real relationship.
6. Mac Miller (2016 – 2018)
And then we come to Mac Miller. Of all the men Ariana has been in a relationship with, he is the most well-known. Although they had known each other since 2012, romantic feelings only developed later. Their relationship came across as incredibly genuine in the media. They made music together, appeared in interviews together, and dressed up for Halloween in the best costumes. Ariana and Mac said they were soulmates, but fate did not agree with them. In May 2018, they broke up.
Ariana stated that they still loved each other very much, but that it didn't work out due to personal circumstances. There were rumors that Mac's drug use played a role in this. Shortly after the breakup, Ariana jumped to a new flame: Pete Davidson. Four months after the breakup, Mac died of an overdose. After his death, Ariana received a lot of criticism. Everyone tried to hold her responsible for his addiction and death. Nowadays, Ariana looks back on her relationship with Mac with love. To this day, he is one of her greatest loves ever.
View this post on Instagram
7. Pete Davidson (2018)
We just mentioned him, but Pete Davidson has indeed been with Ariana. Their relationship lasted only a short time but caused so much uproar that everyone knew about it. After a month, they were engaged and got tattoos of each other. They couldn't stay away from each other and didn't stop talking about each other. The speed at which everything went turned out to be unsustainable. Even before the two got married, they broke up.
View this post on Instagram
8. Dalton Gomez (2020 – 2023)
After a number of very public relationships, Ariana chose a different kind of love during the pandemic. Dalton Gomez is not an actor or musician, but a luxury real estate agent from Los Angeles. They met when Ariana wanted to sell her house, and from there it went quickly. At the end of 2020, they got engaged and in May of the following year, they married in an intimate ceremony at Ariana's home. It seemed like she finally found someone outside the spotlight who allowed her to find peace.
But this marriage also did not last. In 2023, it was announced that they had separated. According to various media, the long distance and Ariana's busy filming schedule played a significant role. Again, there seems to be no bad blood, but there are new songs from Ariana that hint at cheating and all sorts of other issues… Wicked Ethan Slather (2023 – 2025/2026)
Ethan Slather (2023 – 2025/2026)
Shortly after her divorce from Dalton became public, the first rumors about a relationship with Ethan Slater, her co-star in Wicked. The romance immediately caused a lot of commotion, because Ethan had just separated from his wife, with whom he had recently had a child. Everyone was convinced that the singer had destroyed a family.
Although Ariana and Ethan largely kept away from all the commotion, the media continued to write about their relationship for months. On social media, Ethan quickly earned the nickname SpongeBob, referring to his Broadway role as SpongeBob SquarePants. That nickname continued to haunt him. The two were regularly spotted together and seemed to be serious about each other, but eventually reports emerged that the relationship was over.
And now she seems to be back with Ricky. Ariana goes through boyfriends like they're chocolates. Will Ricky be the one she finds happiness with? Or will we hear in a few months that she is really single now? We'll see.
