Where Ariana Grande Stands With All Of Her Exes

Despite Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's myriad awkward moments, the two appear to be going strong. Grande has not always been so lucky in love, though. Nonetheless, Grande appears to be on relatively friendly terms with the vast majority of her exes. Here we explore what former flames have had to say about the Oscar-nominated star, as well as her comments about them. You can expect a lot of namedropping in songs, that is for sure.

Though we have scoured the web for details about Grande's past paramours, there are a few who did not make the cut for various reasons. Her ex-husband Dalton Gomez, for example, lives a private life as a non-celebrity and has never publicly commented on Grande — despite public speculation that she may have cheated on him with Slater. In fact, Gomez even kept mum when Grande hinted on her song "Twilight Zone" that he was the one to cheat. Ill-fated two-year marriage aside, we also did not include Social House's Mikey Foster, since neither Grande nor Foster ever confirmed they were an item.

But do not worry, as that still leaves us with plenty of exes to cover. That includes everyone from actor Graham Phillips to comedian Pete Davidson, and even the pop star's deceased ex Mac Miller, who publicly reacted when Grande became engaged to Davidson after just a few weeks. Without further ado, let's take a closer look at everything Ariana Grande's exes have said about her, and vice versa.

Ariana Grande's first public boyfriend was actor Graham Phillips, best known for his role on "The Good Wife" and for playing Prince Eric in the 2019 TV production "Little Mermaid Live!". Grande and Phillips began their courtship in 2008, while co-starring in the Broadway musical "13." Though both stars were only 15 when they started dating, their relationship lasted an impressive three years. They broke up in December 2011, in what was reported to be an amicable split.

All signs since then point to a true friendship between Grande and her ex, as they have been spotted hanging out multiple times over the years. They were photographed heading to a restaurant in New York City in 2019, and even posed for Instagram when they reunited a few years prior to that. Though it is unclear if the former flames still see each other, Phillips had glowing praise for the "Problem" singer in a 2024 video interview with Young Entertainment Magazine. "Obviously, Ariana's gone to superstardom and ... through all the crazy stuff that's happened to her, all the amazing successes and all of the difficulties, that light is just shining so bright," he said. "That's really what I think I'm most happy to see."

It is also worth noting that Phillips stuck by his ex in 2015, when she was caught licking doughnuts and hating on America in a small-town bakery. "She's such a sweet girl," he said to People. "I don't think it speaks to her character at all."

Ariana Grande's next boyfriend after Graham Phillips was Australian singer Jai Brooks, and things got so messy after they broke up that there are a plethora of Reddit and TikTok deep dives about the drama. Take this Reddit thread from January 2026, for example. We could not possibly cover all of the chaos, but let's touch on the highlights. Grande and Brooks — also a member of the music-comedy group The Janoskians– first got together in 2012, but their spark fizzled within less than a year. A few months after the July 2013 breakup, Brooks took to X (Twitter, back then) with an extremely long rant accusing Grande of cheating on him with Nathan Sykes. "Yes I was cheated on. Yes it does suck. Yes I was left for another man," wrote Brooks, per a screenshot from the Reddit thread. 

Grande seemingly responded to the post with one of her own, since deleted. "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," she tweeted, without name-dropping Brooks (via E! News). Brooks then posted screenshots of a conversation between the two.

While that seems like it should have been the nail in the coffin, these crazy kids got back together years after Grande's supposed infidelity. They reconciled in May 2014, but called it quits for good that August, reportedly due to Brooks' lack of support when Grande's grandfather died.

The first time that Ariana Grande broke up with Jai Brooks, it was allegedly because she cheated with Nathan Sykes. While we do not know for sure whether the overlap story is true or a concoction of an angry ex, there is no question that Grande did in fact date Sykes after her split from Brooks. Grande was linked to the singer, who is part of the band The Wanted, in 2013, around when Sykes featured on Grande's song "Almost Is Never Enough." The relationship lasted only five months before the pair split due to the difficulties of long-distance, which Grande verified in a January 2014 radio interview.

When Sykes released his first solo project in 2015, the album included a ballad inspired by his brief relationship with Grande. "I poured my heart out a tiny bit in a couple of the songs, but yeah, that's a relationship [with Grande] that happened in my life and as a writer who draws from personal relationships and experiences, I think it's just natural that there's a song that fits that time in my life," Sykes told E! News.

In 2016, Sykes and Grande teamed up for a reworking of the song in question, "Over and Over Again." "It's not weird to me at all," Sykes told Entertainment Tonight about the duet. "I think the most important thing for me is that she's an incredible vocalist and I really think she brings something great to the song."

Fans were super into Ariana Grande and rapper Big Sean as a couple, especially once the pair started appearing together onstage and on red carpets. The duo were first linked romantically in August 2014, and they regularly referenced their partnership on social media and in interviews thereafter. But eight months in, Grande and Sean's reps jointly released a breakup statement. "They both deeply care for each other and remain close friends," they said to Us Weekly. "We kindly ask that the media respect their wish for privacy regarding this personal matter at this time."

Following the split, Grande published an essay on all of her socials, where she discussed the double standards that exist for men and women. "What I meant when I said what I said about not being Sean's ex is that I am tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man's past, present, or future PROPERTY/POSSESSION," Grande wrote (via Billboard). "I ... do not. belong. to anyone. but myself. and neither do you."

In the years since, both Grande and Sean have referenced each other on songs. Grande took the first stab when she called Sean — and three other exes — out by name on her 2018 smash hit "Thank U, Next." Then, in 2019, Sean returned the favor on "Thank You," a collaboration with D.J. Khaled. "Plus I gotta thank my exes on some 'thank u, next' sh*t. And all the old times that gave me new perspectives," he rapped. Still, Grande has seemingly remained friendly with her ex. 

Ricky Alvarez is another one of Ariana Grande's exes who was name-dropped on "Thank U, Next." And apparently like Big Sean, Alvarez heard the song before its release – Grande confirmed via a tweeted response to a fan. Alvarez was clearly fine with the song and, when it came out, publicly reacted in a humorous Instagram story. The clip featured Alvarez listening to the track, with the camera going in for an intense close-up upon the line, "Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh." "Nothing but gratitude," read a subsequent story post, which also stated, "Thank you, next ... (those songs are fire tho... you're welcome)" (via People).

Grande then got in on the fun, reposting Alvarez's comments to her own story and apologizing for the shady line. "Oh for sure ... ty next," she wrote on top of a black-and-white photo of her ex. "HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH IM SORRY U GOT THE WORST LINE. It was meant v lovingly."

Grande was first linked to backup dancer Alvarez when surveillance video — yes, the same video that caught Grande infamously licking a doughnut — caught them kissing in 2015. A month later, inside sources confirmed they were an official item. The relationship lasted a year before fizzling out, and though Grande erased all traces of Alvarez from her Instagram grid, the exes reportedly split on good terms. The pair were photographed hanging out at the start of 2019, about a month after Grande's reply to one of Alvarez's Instagram posts sparked reconciliation rumors.

Mac Miller's untimely passing is still a tough pill to swallow, but his legacy remains vibrant. A part of that legacy, for better or for worse, is Miller's much-publicized — and at times, tragic — relationship with Ariana Grande. The pair had a years-long friendship before things turned romantic; they publicly confirmed their relationship on social media in September 2016. They broke up in May 2018. "I was in love with somebody. We were together for two years. We worked through good times, bad times, stress, and everything else. And then it came to an end and we both moved on. And it's that simple," Miller told Zane Lowe for Apple Music's Beast 1 in July 2018 (via YouTube), two months before his overdose.

Whereas Miller struggled after the split — he got a DUI a week after it happened, for example — Grande became engaged to Pete Davidson within a few months. Still, there were no hard feelings. "The whole [breakup] is a little strange, but it's not negative," Miller said in that same interview. "I am happy for her and moving forward with her life just as I'm sure she is with me."

Grande discussed her grief and gave details about the relationship in a 2019 Vogue interview. "By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f**k. He was the best person ever, and he didn't deserve the demons he had," she said. "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 and Ariana Grande always seemed like an odd match, and their relationship can be described as nothing short of a whirlwind. They first met in 2014 but got to know each other better after Grande appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in March 2016. On May 7, 2018, Grande and Davidson went on their first date — so freshly out of their previous relationships that Grande had not even announced she was no longer with Mac Miller (she did so two days after the date). Their relationship was made public on May 18, Davidson showed off his two tattoos for Grande on Instagram on June 2, and Grande debuted an engagement ring on June 3. By October of that same year, the couple was done. It was that quick.

In 2019, Grande called the relationship a "distraction" from her breakup with Miller, downplaying its importance. "It was frivolous and fun and insane and highly unrealistic, and I loved him, and I didn't know him," she said to Vogue.

Davidson worked a response into his 2020 Netflix special "Alive From New York." "You're like, 'Pete, this isn't fair. You're airing out dirty laundry. How could you do that? Where did she say this stuff? To her friends in the confidence of her own home?'" he said, adding, "No, she said it on the cover of Vogue magazine." Though he roasted his ex in the special, it was all done in good spirits. Davidson even publicly expressed support, wanting Grande to win an Oscar in 2025, after she was nominated for "Wicked" — so it sounds like Davidson and Grande are at least somewhat friendly.