After two highly publicised heartbreaks — with the late Mac Miller and comedian Pete Davidson — Ariana Grande has since kept her romances close to her chest. So you’d be forgiven for not realising she was even married, as the news is breaking of her (allegedly) imminent divorce.
Still, fans and tabloids alike were shocked when the singer was spotted watching the Wimbledon’s men over the weekend sans wedding ring. It wasn’t the first time — back in August 2022, the singer shut down rumours of divorce before they even started, “I’m not wearing my wedding ring, it’s getting cleaned. I’m not getting a divorce before you start, don’t,” she said during a makeup tutorial.
However this time sources have apparently confirmed the split.
Insiders told TMZ they were having issues before she left for Wicked filming [in London]. With another explaining that, “when Covid restrictions lifted, we’re told their differences became alarmingly apparent. Dalton, an LA. realtor, was taken aback by Ariana’s celebrity. He had not dealt with her schedule, the paparazzi and the various opportunities that took her out of LA.”
“There was no cheating, no resentment between them, the marriage just simply didn’t work out. These things happen,” the source continued.
The thirty-year-old global popstar, who is currently the most streamed female artist in the world, quietly married the realtor Dalton Gomez in May 2021. Although the former dancer ran in similar circles, having posted himself hanging out with Miley Cyrus to his 2,000 Instagram followers in 2017 (his account was deactivated in April 2023), he was far from famous.
The two first met when Grande was looking for a hideaway house outside her native LA. “Ariana was looking for a home outside of Los Angeles to be her getaway house, and her team found Dalton to help,” a source told Us Weekly. “When she saw him, she immediately thought he was cute and very good-looking, and she asked her team to set up an in-person meeting with him. Ariana fell very hard for Dalton shortly after they met.”
So hard that within a year the pair were engaged and shortly later married. “It was beautiful but not over the top,” a source said of the elusive ceremony that was held in her Montecito mansion and attended by only 20 people. “Ari wanted it to be simplistic and tasteful. All they cared about was having family there and to be able to enjoy the special moment together.”
While her latest album Positions had several tracks seemingly dedicated to her husband. In “34+35” she sings about her desire to have a family with Gomez: “You might think I’m crazy / The way I’ve been cravin’ / If I put it quite plainly / Just give me them babies.” Then in “Positions” she sang: “Perfect, perfect / You’re too good to be true (You’re too good to be true)” and “Heaven sent you to me / I’m just hopin’ I don’t repeat history.”
According to reports, the duo remain friends, “phone regularly”, and even made a last ditch attempt to make things work back in May after officially ending things at the start of the year. Nonetheless, fans are devastated by the news that their thirlwind three-year relationship has come to an end.
ICYMI: a timeline of Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez’s relationship
February 2020
A month after they officially (but secretly) started dating, they were spotted kissing at Bar Louie in Northridge, California at 1am. First reported by TMZ, his identity was then-unknown, which turned her loyal Arianators into armchair detectives as they tried to reveal her mysterious hook-up.
March 2020
As eager fans started to piece together social media clues, TMZ soon confirmed that her secret late night date was with a high-end realtor who worked at Aaron Kirkman in Los Angeles, alongside details of their relationship.
“Ariana was looking for a home outside of Los Angeles to be her getaway house, and her team found Dalton to help,” they reported. “When she saw him, she immediately thought he was cute and very good-looking, and she asked her team to set up an in-person meeting with him.”
“She is serious about self-distancing and has been with the same group of people for days. One of the people she is with right now is Dalton- they have been hanging out for a couple of months,” they said. “Ariana doesn’t want to do another public relationship, so she is trying to keep this one quiet, but she seems very happy with Dalton.”
May 2020
Grande soft launched the relationship with a brief, albeit very sweet, cameo alongside Gomez in Justin Bieber’s music video “Stuck With U”. Also featuring A-list couples Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Stephen and Ayesha Curry - the video showed the couple dancing and hugging while social distancing.
June 2020
Ahead of her 27th birthday Grande made the relationship Instagram official by including a photo of the two cuddling in an inconspicuous photo dump of her quarantine set up. Captioned “almost 27”, the musician turned off comments to brace herself from the fan outpouring. Later that day Gomez shared a photo on his Instagram of him and Ariana about to kiss captioned “happy birthday to the best person in this world”.
December 2020
Less than a year into dating, Grande showed off her stunning pearl and oval diamond engagement ring to Instagram, which she captioned: “forever n then some”.
A source from Grande’s camp told People, “They couldn’t be happier, they’re just so excited. This is a happy time for them, both sets of parents are thrilled.”
May 2021
A representative for the singer confirmed to PEOPLE that Grande secretly tied the knot: ‘They got married. It was tiny and intimate - less than 20 people. The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.” Despite the scaled-down celebrations, the pair exchanged the traditional “I dos” amongst the multitude of white roses that Grande used as her wedding decor.
A week later she shared photos from their wedding, taken by Stefan Kohli, in three Instagram posts.
Feburary 2022
After nearly a year of social media silence, the pop star shared loved up photos of the two celebrating Valentines day which were liked a jaw dropping 15 million times.
August 2022
Grande shuts down divorce rumours after posting a make up tutorial where she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. “I’m not wearing my wedding ring, it’s getting cleaned. I’m not getting a divorce before you start, don’t,” she said at the time.
November 2022
The last photo of the two before their divorce was announced eight months later.
