In typical fashion, Ariana Grande supposedly had an eyebrow-raising beginning with her new relationship!
You’ve likely heard by now that the pop star rekindled things with her ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, whom she dated for a year back in 2015. The former backup dancer has been spotted at several stops of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, and he spent the Fourth of July with her family. On Thursday, the pair were even seen enjoying a romantic stroll through Central Park in New York City with what appears to be her dog, Toulouse. Pictures of them showed Ricky’s arm draped over Ariana’s shoulder while hers is wrapped around his waist. See:
Ariana Grande & Ricky Alvarez Cozy Up During Central Park Stroll https://t.co/QNRxywKWCk
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 17, 2026
Related: The DM Ariana Sent To Her Infamous Impersonator About Being ‘Yourself’
Her rekindled romance with Ricky comes shortly after she broke up with Ethan Slater, her formerly married Wicked co-star, with whom she may or may not have had an affair. The girl is known at this point for allegedly starting off her relationships a bit messy, and this time is no different! She apparently didn’t give Ethan a heads-up about her moving on already! He just found out with the rest of us! An insider told DailyMail.com on Thursday:
“Ariana hasn’t told Ethan specifically, but mutual friends have told him that she is now dating Ricky again.”
But it gets worse than that! According to those close to Ari, the Break Free singer has remained in contact with Ricky since their breakup a decade ago — even while dating Ethan! Yikes! We wonder how he felt about the close bond?! However, they’re adamant the photographer “never crossed the line while she was with Ethan.” But when their relationship started to fizzle, she reportedly reached out to Ricky more and more:
“It was important to her to still be loosely in contact with him as they still had mutual friends. As her relationship was ending with Ethan, she chose to reach out to Ricky more… then hang out with him more with mutual friends… and then they started hanging out alone.”
Ari must know how this looks if true, especially given her alleged history! People, possibly even Ethan now, are still going to question her because it sounds like she wanted to move on to the next before things officially came to a close with the Broadway star!
At this time, Ricky and Ariana reportedly “are fully back in each other’s lives and are together.” The source shared that he’s “very happy being back in her life and is looking for this second chance to be what he wanted the first time around.” For her part, an insider said the Grammy winner liked the level of “comfort” and “trust” she has with Ricky:
“What ultimately drew her back was the comfort and familiarity they share. She doesn’t feel like she has to prove herself, and there’s a level of trust that comes with knowing each other so well.”
However, don’t get it twisted! The source stressed they aren’t “simply picking up where they left off,” adding:
“They’re revisiting the relationship with a different perspective, openly talking about what went wrong before and making a conscious effort to avoid repeating those mistakes. They’re approaching the relationship with more maturity and a clearer understanding of each other. Which isn’t usually Ariana’s thing.”
This also isn’t just a rebound for Ariana after splitting with Ethan! One insider said they are the real deal:
“This doesn’t appear to be a rebound. Ariana and Ricky have a long history and a level of familiarity. Their reconnection seems to have grown naturally rather than being an impulsive reaction to the end of her previous relationship.”
We’ll see if Ariana and Ricky can survive this time around! But at least fans can expect her to produce some bops inspired by their romance, regardless of how long it lasts! Perhaps an Into You Part 2! 
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Tell us in the comments (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN, Ariana Grande/Ricky Alvarez/Instagram]
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