Did Ariana Grande Confirm Ricky Álvarez Romance? Why Fans Think So

Ariana Grande Changes "Thank U, Next" Lyrics About Ex Ricky Alvarez

Ariana Grande and Ricky Álvarez might be meant to be—and fans can’t unsee it.

Just over a month after it was confirmed she and Ethan Slater had quietly broken up after nearly three years together, fans think Grande confirmed she and her ex Álvarez have once again hit it off.

It comes down to a subtly changed lyric. While Grande’s song “thank u, next” traditionally includes the line, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / now I listen and laugh,” the Wicked star changed the latter half of the line during her July 13 concert to, “We always find our way back.”

Plus, not only was Álvarez hanging out with Grande during her Eternal Sunshine tour at the end of June, but this is also the third time she’s opted to alter the lyric about the dancer, whom she dated for about a year in 2015.

The day after Álvarez was seen spending time with Grande, the Victorious alum sang during her June 26 tour stop, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / they still really slap.”

And again on July 7: “Wrote some songs about Ricky / know he’s still got my back."

Naturally, the change ups paired with Grande and Álvarez hanging out have fans thinking that the pair are once again dancing through life together.

“OH THIS IS GETTING SERIOUS, can they officially announce their reunion,” one user wrote on X in relation to the latest lyric change, while another added, “ariana said we always find our way back and the entire internet just felt that in their soul  ricky arc is writing itself better than any album.”

John Shearer/Getty Images for Kitty Purry, Inc.

But despite the speculation, neither Álvarez nor Grande have addressed their current relationship status—though social footage did capture Álvarez’s reaction (a subtle smile) to Grande’s first lyric change when he heard it from the audience of her concert.

As for where Grande and Slater stand, though neither have addressed their breakup, a source told E! News on June 8 the Wicked costars “have quietly been broken up after nearly three years together."

During their time together, Grande and Slater often opted to keep their romance away from the spotlight after meeting and finding love on the set of the first Wicked film. At the time, there had been rumors that the pair’s relationship had overlapped with their marriages—Grande’s to Dalton Gomez and Slater’s to Lily Jay. (He and Jay share a young son.)

John Shearer/97th Oscars/The Academy via Getty Images

Both parties, however, have denied such claims, with Grande often acting as Slater’s champion against the maelstrom of scrutiny and speculation.

“There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him,” she told Vanity Fair of Slater in 2024. “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls--t tabloid can rewrite in real life.”

As for the start of their relationship, Grande merely noted, “Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did.”

For more insight into Grande and Slater’s time together, read on.

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