Ariana Grande has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager, meaning her private life has never exactly been all that private. Ariana’s 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 soon-to-be-ex-husband Dalton Gomez.
Graham Phillips: 2008-2011
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 Donut 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 on 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 hotspot~ Carbone (IYKYK).
Nathan Sykes: 2013
Ariana dated The Wanted’s Nathan Skyes in 2013—around the time of their song “Almost Is Never Enough.”
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.”
Jai Brook: 2012-2014 (on and off)
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.”
Big Sean: 2014-2015
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, “They made the decision to part ways because their conflicting touring schedules would keep them apart over the next year.”
Big Sean was name-checked on “Thank U Next,” when Ariana sang, “Thought I’d end up with Sean/But he wasn’t a match.”
Ricky Alvarez: 2015 to 2016
Ricky and Ariana dated during her aforementioned Donut 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 Monet, the song “Moonlight” is about a romantic night she 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.”
Mac Miller: 2016-2018
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.”
Pete Davidson: 2018
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:
Mikey Foster: 2019-2020
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….
Dalton Gomez: 2020-2023
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 (Ariana’s been in England filming Wicked) played a big part. No one’s released a public statement just yet, but stay tuned.