Ariana Grande's relationship history has been as widely followed as her music career. The Grammy-winning singer and actress has had several high-profile romances, many of which have influenced her work. The most significant of these was with the late rapper Mac Miller, whose death in September 2018 deeply affected her. Her most recent relationship, with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, reportedly ended amicably in June 2026 after nearly three years together.
Early relationships and rise to fame
Ariana Grande-Butera was born on 26 June 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida. She began her career at age 15 in the 2008 Broadway musical 13: The Musical, later gaining fame as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon's Victorious. Her first public relationship was with actor Graham Phillips, whom she met while starring in 13. The pair dated from 2008 to 2011.
In 2012, Grande briefly dated Australian YouTuber Jai Brooks, during which Brooks accused her of cheating with The Wanted singer Nathan Sykes—an accusation she denied. She and Brooks rekindled in 2014 but split again. Grande also dated Sykes in 2013, confirming their breakup in January 2014, citing distance as the reason.
Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, and Mac Miller
In 2014, Grande confirmed her relationship with rapper Big Sean after months of speculation. She described him in a Telegraph interview as "one of the most amazing men in the whole world." The romance ended in 2015. She then dated backup dancer Ricky Alvarez from summer 2015 to July 2016, a relationship that gained attention during the "Donut Gate" incident.
Mac Miller (born Malcolm James McCormick on 19 January 1992) and Grande first connected in 2012 after a flirty Twitter exchange led to a collaboration on a remake of "Baby It's Cold Outside." They collaborated again on her single "The Way" in 2013. The two began dating in August 2016, with Grande confirming the relationship on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2016. She told Ellen, as reported by Bustle: "This is so crazy. I've never had the relationship talk on a show before."
The couple dated for nearly two years before amicably ending things in May 2018. Grande later described the relationship as "toxic," "hard," and "scary" in a response to a fan. Miller died on 7 September 2018, aged 26, from accidental mixed drug toxicity involving fentanyl, other drugs, and ethanol, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office. Grande posted a tribute on Instagram a week later, as reported by People: "I adored you from the day I met you when I was 19 and I always will. I can't believe you aren't here anymore. You were my dearest friend. For so long. Above anything else. I'm so sorry I couldn't fix or take your pain away. The kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. I hope you're okay now. Rest."
Pete Davidson, Dalton Gomez, and the Wicked era
In 2018, Grande was briefly engaged to Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson, but they split about five months later. The relationship inspired her hit single "thank u, next." In January 2020, she began dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez, confirming the relationship in the music video for "Stuck with U" with Justin Bieber. They married in California in May 2021 in a private ceremony. Her representative told People: "They got married. It was tiny and intimate—less than 20 people. The room was so happy and full of love." The couple separated in early 2023, with TMZ reporting in July 2023, and their divorce was finalised in 2024.
Grande met Ethan Slater, a Tony Award-nominated actor known for Broadway's SpongeBob SquarePants musical, while filming the two-part blockbuster Wicked, which began production in December 2022. News of their relationship broke in July 2023, three days after Grande and Gomez announced their breakup and six days before Slater filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay. Sources insisted the romance only began after their respective separations.
Lilly Jay, a clinical psychologist, reflected on the public nature of her divorce in a December 2024 essay for The Cut titled "How Does My Divorce Make You Feel?" Cheating rumours circulated since 2023, but Grande denied them. Slater expressed pride in Grande in a 2024 GQ interview: "I'm just really, really proud of Ari and the work she's done on this. She's poured herself into it."
Split and recent developments
In June 2026, Grande and Slater reportedly ended their relationship after nearly three years. A source told People that the split was amicable and that they remained friends. At the time, Grande was on her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which began on 6 June 2026 in Oakland, California, with stops across North America before a multi-show run at The O2 in London on 15 August. Her performance as Glinda in Wicked earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025, and she reprised the role in Wicked: For Good, released in November 2025.
Grande's net worth is approximately $250 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, with Net Worth Spot estimating around $240 million as of 2026. Her income streams include touring (her Sweetener World Tour grossed roughly $146.4 million across 97 shows), acting, her R.E.M. Beauty cosmetics line, endorsements from brands like Reebok, MAC Cosmetics, Ulta Beauty, and Givenchy, and social media, where she has 376 million Instagram followers.
