Full Breakdown
Ariana Grande Confirms Rekindled Romance with Ex-Boyfriend Ricky Alvarez Amid “Eternal Sunshine” Tour
7/21/2026, 12:39:50 PM
Core Event
During the final night of her five-show “Eternal Sunshine” residency at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on July 19 2024, Ariana Grande altered the lyric of her 2018 hit “Thank U, Next” to read, “Wrote some songs about Ricky, we always find our way back.” The change, coupled with on-stage appearances by former backup dancer Ricky Alvarez, preceded People and TMZ reports on July 14 that the pair had officially resumed dating, describing the reunion as “taking things very slowly.”
Background & Context
Grande first met Alvarez in 2015 when he joined her Honeymoon Tour as a backup dancer. The two dated for roughly a year before ending the relationship in mid-2016, yet they remained friends. Alvarez later appeared in the “Thank U, Next” lyric—“Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh”—when the song debuted in 2018. Over the ensuing years, the pair’s interactions were limited to occasional social-media exchanges and shared tour moments, such as Alvarez’s role as a photographer on the 2018 Sweetener World Tour.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Grande and Alvarez meet on the Honeymoon Tour; begin dating. |
| May 2016 | Grande tells Billboard she is “very happy” in a cover story. |
| July 2016 | Relationship ends after about a year. |
| November 2018 | “Thank U, Next” lyric references “Ricky.” |
| June 24 2024 | Austin, Texas show features lyric “Wrote some songs about Ricky, and they still kinda slap.” |
| July 13 2024 | Brooklyn show lyric changed to “Wrote some songs about Ricky, we always find our way back.” |
| July 14 2024 | People and TMZ confirm Grande and Alvarez are dating again. |
| July 16 2024 | Couple photographed arm-in-arm in Central Park. |
| July 17 2024 | PDA captured on New York streets; Alvarez attends Brooklyn shows on July 18-19. |
| July 19 2024 | Final Barclays Center performance; lyric change publicly performed. |
Official Statements & Responses
Grande used Instagram to address speculation, writing, “We’re friends everyone take a big ol breather.” She later reposted Alvarez’s Instagram Story comment, “Nothing but gratitude,” and added a self-deprecating note, “HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH IM SORRY U GOT THE WORST LINE. It was meant v lovingly.” At the concert’s close, she told the audience, “But I’m glad that I made you love me,” underscoring the personal significance of the lyric revision.
Criticism & Opposition
Earlier in 2024, fans and media outlets speculated that the lyric tweaks signaled a reunion. Grande publicly dismissed those rumors in the comments of Alvarez’s post, emphasizing the platonic nature of their relationship at that time. The subsequent confirmation of a romantic rekindling shifted the narrative from speculation to fact.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Initial Instagram exchanges in 2024 sparked rumors of a romance, which Grande denied with the comment, “We’re friends everyone take a big ol breather.” The later People/TMZ confirmation contradicted that denial, illustrating a gap between public statements and private developments. No further details about the pace or future plans of the relationship have been disclosed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Wrote some songs about Ricky, we always find our way back” — Ariana Grande
- “Nothing but gratitude,” — Ricky Alvarez (Instagram Stories)
- “HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH IM SORRY U GOT THE WORST LINE. It was meant v lovingly.” — Ariana Grande (Instagram comment)
- “We’re friends everyone take a big ol breather,” — Ariana Grande (Instagram reply)
- “But I’m glad that I made you love me.” — Ariana Grande (concert statement)
