Ariana Grande’s love life has been on display for decades, especially in recent years as she’s had high-profile relationships with stars like Pete Davidson and Ethan Slater. Compared to those headline-grabbing romance spectacles, her more low-key courtship with backup dancer Ricky Alvarez in 2015 may not have seemed like a big deal at first. But now that Grande and Alvarez are reportedly rekindling their connection a decade later, their love story just got a whole lot more interesting.
Because most of Grande’s romantic dalliances have had such unexpected twists — like her pandemic-era marriage to Dalton Gomez or the tragic loss of her boyfriend Mac Miller — her relatively brief fling with Alvarez never stood out too much. But perhaps it should have, because it now seems like that’s the loving bond that truly went the distance.
Rumors about Grande and Alvarez reconnecting began sprouting up during her Eternal Sunshine Tour in the summer of 2026, shortly after her breakup from Slater was confirmed. During her shows, Grande began to change up the line about Alvarez in “Thank U, Next,” making it more and more clear that she and her ex were giving things a second chance.
Grande and Alvarez may not have the most conventional love story, but their timeline does tell a sweet tale about two people finding their way back to one another.
April 2014: Ariana & Ricky Meet Professionally
Alvarez was first brought onto Grande’s team in 2014, specifically to be one of her backup dancers when she premiered her single “Problem” at the 2014 Radio Disney Music Awards. Grande was involved with YouTuber Jai Brooks at this time, although they ended their relationship just a couple months later.
June 2015: Their On-Stage Chemistry Sparks Rumors
After his first performance with Grande, Alvarez was brought on board as a dancer for her Honeymoon Tour throughout 2015. Fans began to notice that Alvarez had the most intimate choreo with Grande in various performances, especially during a Pride concert in June when Grande planted a kiss on her dancer in front of everyone.
July 2015: A Very Un-Patriotic Hard Launch
Among Grande fans, Alvarez is perhaps best remembered for his involvement in one of the singer’s most bizarre early controversies. On Fourth of July weekend in 2015, Grande got a lot of attention for a video in which she licked a donut at a donut shop and said, “I hate America.” While those elements of the clip kind of stole the spotlight, the moment also confirmed her relationship with Alvarez, whom she kissed as they perused pastries together.
July 2016: Ariana Quietly Dumps Ricky
There wasn’t much fanfare around Grande and Alvarez’s breakup a year after they went public. A source simply confirmed at the time that Grande had ended things with Alvarez because they “found it difficult to make it work.” The source went on to say there was no infidelity, and the exes remained friends.
Grande would begin dating Mac Miller one month later.
December 2018: Ariana Shut Down Rumors Of Getting Back With Ricky
By the end of 2018, Grande and Alvarez had started spending a lot more time together and commenting on each others’ social media. But when a fan directly asked if they were getting back together, Grande responded by confirming the exes were just “friends.”
July 2026: Ariana & Ricky Start Dating Again
Grande began teasing a second chance at love with Alvarez in late June 2026 by altering the lyrics in “Thank U, Next” to be about her connection with the dancer. After a few iterations, she sang her most telling lyric change in mid-July: “Wrote some songs about Ricky / We always find our way back.”
At the same time, Grande and Alvarez were being spotted together in public a lot more. And People confirmed that they were exploring a romance again, although they’re taking things “very slowly” this time.
“Ariana has always considered Ricky a friend,” People’s source said. “They’re not jumping into anything serious right away, but Ari is happy to have him back in her life.”
