Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez are finished after two years of marriage.
While it’s unclear how they met, the pop star and real estate agent were first spotted together in 2020. They tied the knot the following year, just five months after announcing their engagement.
Here’s a complete timeline of everything we know about their relationship.
Anonymous sources claim that Grande and Gomez began dating in January 2020
In late March, People reported that Grande and Gomez had been together for “about two months.”
The anonymous source added that Grande “doesn’t want to do another public relationship,” so it’s possible they began quietly dating earlier without sharing details online.
To the public’s knowledge, this was Grande’s first relationship since her broken engagement with Pete Davidson, which largely inspired her Grammy-nominated album “Thank U, Next.” At the time of its release, Grande said she was disinterested in dating and described herself as “closed for renovation, until further notice.”
February 8, 2020: They’re spotted kissing at a bar in Northridge, California
TMZ published grainy footage of Grande kissing a “mystery man” in early February, noting that he “might not even be all that famous” since he wasn’t “instantly recognizable.”
The gossip site later confirmed that Grande’s “mystery man” was Gomez.
Shortly after, fans notice that Grande (plus many of her friends) are following Gomez on Instagram
Although Gomez’s Instagram account is private, “Arianators” realized he had many familiar followers, including Grande’s childhood best friend Courtney Chipolone, her choreographer and pal Scott Nicholson, and close collaborator Njomza.
Fan accounts also found that Grande and her friends were following Gomez’s brother, Dakota Gomez. According to one such sleuth, many of those follows were initiated after a game night at Grande’s house on February 22, indicating that Gomez has made a good impression on Grande’s close circle.
February 25, 2020: Gomez accompanies Grande to a party with her friends and management team
Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, threw a party for his wife at Saddle Ranch in West Hollywood.
Grande’s attendance was widely covered, thanks to her spot-on karaoke performance of “Party in the USA” — but at the time, hardly anyone noticed that Gomez was in attendance, too. He can be seen in the background of some videos from the evening, particularly in one video of Grande singing, in which he walks in front of the camera.
March 21, 2020: Gomez covertly appears on Grande’s Instagram story
Although Gomez’s face isn’t clear in either photo, fans were able to identify him based on his tattoos.
Gomez’s brother is a tattoo artist that has posted multiple photos of Gomez’s ink — including the side of a clown tattoo that can be seen on the back of his arm in a photo that Grande shared.
March 25, 2020: News officially breaks that Grande and Gomez are in an exclusive relationship
TMZ broke the news of Grande’s new relationship, while People and Page Six independently confirmed details.
According to one of People’s anonymous sources, Grande and Gomez had decided to quarantine together and “she seems very happy.” TMZ’s sources said the same, and claimed that they’d been “seeing each other for several months now.”
Just one day prior, Grande had posted a snippet of a brand new song, which turned out to be “Nasty.” The lyrics refer to a new relationship that’s heating up: “You got me all up in my feels / In all kind of ways / I be tryna wait but lately, I just wanna keep it real / No more playin’ safe / Let’s take it all the way.”
May 8, 2020: Grande confirms their relationship with a cameo from Gomez in the ‘Stuck With U’ music video
Grande and Justin Bieber released “Stuck With U” to raise money for the First Responder Children’s Foundation.
The music video shows a montage of fans and celebrity couples dancing to the tune. Grande’s mom is shown dancing with one of her dogs, and clips of Bieber and his wife, Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin), are heavily featured.
Grande herself is only shown alone until the very end when Gomez appears, hugging and dancing with her.
May 26, 2020: Gomez makes his official debut on Grande’s Instagram
Grande posted the first clear shot of Gomez’s face in late May, amidst promotional videos for her Lady Gaga collaboration, “Rain On Me.”
Gomez helped Grande by spraying her with water in the bathtub. She captioned one behind-the-scenes shot with the face-surrounded-by-hearts emoji.
May 31, 2020: Grande and Gomez join the Black Lives Matter protests in Los Angeles
Grande was spotted protesting with a “Black Lives Matter” sign, marching alongside Gomez and her close friend, Doug Middlebrook.
June 10, 2020: Grande buys a new house in Montecito, California — presumably for herself and Gomez
Grande went on a property shopping spree in 2020 — which may be how she met Gomez, since he’s a luxury real estate broker based in California.
On June 10, 2020, the Los Angeles Times reported that she’d bought a new mansion in Hollywood Hills. Then, just one day later, the LA Times reported that Grande had moved into another new home in Montecito, California.
Judging by her Instagram posts, Grande and Gomez began quarantining together in the two-bedroom residence. Fans took this to mean that she and Gomez had officially moved in together, especially since Grande made a similar purchase when she and Davidson got engaged.
June 25, 2020: Grande posts her first selfie with Gomez
Grande shared a cute selfie with Gomez in a slideshow on Instagram, posted the day before her birthday.
Fan accounts also shared two additional photos, taken at the same time, which were apparently posted on Gomez’s Instagram grid. One shows Grande kissing Gomez on the cheek.
June 26, 2020: Grande shares two photos with Gomez at her ‘Midsommar’-themed birthday party
The first photo Grande posted shows Gomez kissing her on the cheek. The second photo shows the couple smooching.
Gomez helped Grande celebrate her 27th birthday, which was themed around the horror film “Midsommar.” According to her Instagram story, he even gave her framed photos of her beloved dogs as a gift.
Grande also shared a black-and-white photo with Gomez on her Instagram story, which appears to be a screenshot of Gomez’s post wishing her a happy birthday.
August 7, 2020: Grande wishes Gomez a happy birthday on Instagram, calling him her ‘baby’ and ‘best friend’
Grande posted a slideshow of photos and videos with Gomez, including two videos where he kisses her cheeks and a meme of what their kids might look like.
“hbd to my baby my best friend my fav part of all the days,” she wrote. “i love u.”
October 30, 2020: Grande drops her album ‘Positions,’ which is full of references to Gomez
“Positions” plays like a frisky jaunt through Grande’s domestic bliss. Most (if not all) of the songs on the album seem directly inspired by her new relationship.
“Love Language,” for example, seems to contain a sneaky nod to Gomez’s profession (“I ain’t tryna sign no lease / I’m just gon’ make you my home”).
Leon Thomas III, one of the album’s producers, confirmed to Insider that “Safety Net” was inspired by “a conversation about free-falling into real love.”
“We both were kind of just geeking out about our newfound loves,” he said, clarifying: “I usually don’t say anything about stuff like that, but I mean, the news is out that she’s in a relationship right now.”
Similarly, cowriter Tayla Parx told Insider that “Positions” is a realistic look at “where [Grande] is emotionally.”
On Twitter, Grande told a fan that Gomez doesn’t have a favorite song on the album.
“he just got very excited that someone asked !!!” she wrote. “he says: all of them.”
December 20, 2020: Grande announces their engagement
The 27-year-old pop star surprised fans with a slideshow on Instagram, which included cuddly photos of herself with Gomez, as well as photos of a new diamond ring.
“forever n then some,” she captioned the post.
In addition to the post’s obvious implications, many friends and members of Grande’s team commented to say congratulations, all but confirming the engagement.
“Congrats to these two amazing souls,” wrote Grande’s manager Scooter Braun. “Ari we love you and could not be happier for you. Dalton you are a lucky man.”
Six days later, Grande shared several photos celebrating the holidays with Gomez and her family. She also posted a short tribute to her fiancé the following April, calling Gomez “my heart” and “my person.”
May 17, 2021: News breaks that Grande and Gomez got married at home
The “tiny and intimate” ceremony had less than 20 people in attendance, a representative for Grande confirmed.
“The room was so happy and full of love,” Grande’s rep told People magazine, “The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”
Several days later, Grande shared several wedding photos on Instagram, confirming they tied the knot on May 15, 2021. Vogue also published a behind-the-scenes look inside the event, which took place at the couple’s home in Montecito, California.
May 15, 2023: Grande celebrates the couple’s two-year wedding anniversary
To honor the milestone, Grande shared a rare photo with Gomez on her Instagram story.
Alongside the black-and-white shot from their wedding, which shows the couple kissing, Grande wrote the number “2” with a heart, adding in parenthesis, “3.5 together!!!”
She also wrote: “I love him so.”
July 16, 2023: Grande fuels divorce rumors when she appears in public without her wedding ring
A few months after she tied the knot, Grande was cast as Glinda in Jon Chu’s big-screen adaptation of “Wicked.” She began filming in December 2022 and took a step back from the spotlight, attending very few events and sharing only sparse updates on social media — mostly about her makeup line, r.e.m. beauty.
In May 2023, Grande removed thousands of posts from her Instagram grid, including her engagement announcement and all the photos from her wedding (although a few romantic shots remain). Around this time, fans also noticed that Gomez had deleted his own Instagram account.
Then, on July 16, 2023, Grande attended a Wimbledon match with her “Wicked” costar Jonathan Bailey. In photos from the tournament, her left hand was conspicuously bare.
July 17, 2023: News breaks of the couple’s separation
The day after Grande’s tennis outing, TMZ published a report that she and Gomez had been separated for several months and were “heading for divorce,” citing anonymous sources close to the couple.
According to the tabloid, their marriage began to suffer after pandemic restrictions were lifted. Gomez was “taken aback” by Grande’s celebrity status, TMZ said, and “their differences started to make the marriage unravel.”
Grande went to England to film “Wicked” in December 2022, while Gomez remained in Los Angeles. The couple reportedly separated shortly after.
Another source confirmed the news to People, claiming that Grande and Gomez “have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship.”
July 20, 2023: Multiple outlets report that Grande has a new boyfriend
While filming “Wicked,” Grande began dating her costar Ethan Slater, according to TMZ. Multiple sources corroborated the news to People.
The rumored couple had been photographed together in March 2023, when the cast of “Wicked” celebrated Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win in London.
Both outlets claim that Grande and Gomez separated in January, leaving her free to date other people. (According to TMZ, Gomez has also been dating other people.)
As for Slater, he has been married to his high-school sweetheart, Lilly Jay Slater, since 2018. He announced on Instagram last year that they had welcomed a son. However, his account went private shortly after the news broke of his new relationship.
According to both TMZ and People, Slater was already separated from his wife when he and Grande began dating, though no reason was given for their split.
Representatives for Grande, Gomez, and Slater did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
September 18, 2023: Grande and Gomez simultaneously file for divorce
TMZ broke the news that Grande had officially filed for divorce from Gomez, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Gomez quickly followed suit in a “clearly-coordinated effort.”
“They’ve been really caring and respectful of one another every step of this process,” a source told the outlet.
According to court documents, the date of their separation was listed as February 20, 2023.
October 6, 2023: Their divorce is settled, with Gomez receiving $1.2 million from Grande
Three weeks later, multiple outlets reported that the couple had officially finalized their divorce. The couple had a prenuptial agreement in place, and as part of their settlement, Gomez will receive $1,250,000 from Grande, TMZ reported, adding that the money will be paid upfront and tax-free.
Per the terms of their agreement, TMZ reported that Gomez will also receive 50% of the net proceeds of the sale of the Los Angeles home that they previously shared together. The Grammy winner will also pay up to $25,000 of Gomez’s attorney fees, the report says.
March 8, 2024: Grande releases her newest album ‘Eternal Sunshine,’ which alludes to a painful split
Grande’s seventh studio album — her first post-divorce release — is named after “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” a 2004 sci-fi film that stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as ill-fated lovers. The two characters undergo a medical procedure to erase each other from their memories.
“We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” was the second single released from “Eternal Sunshine.” The music video shows Grande undergoing the same procedure.
Throughout the album, Grande alludes to a recent breakup, depicting her ex as uncaring on “Don’t Wanna Break Up Again” (“I fall asleep crying / You turn up the TV / You don’t wanna hear me”) and dishonest on the title track (“I’ve never seen someone lie like you do”). Songs like “Bye” and “I Wish I Hated You” deal with similar themes of heartbreak and regret. Many fans believe Gomez is the muse.
However, Grande told Zach Sang that she didn’t intend for the album to scan as a targeted takedown.
“I combed through just to make sure that it was what I intended, which even at my most heartbroken, or most pained moments of the past few years, there was so much kindness. There was so much love,” she said. “It wasn’t a ‘fuck you’ at all, ever.”
