Ariana Grande Breaks Cardinal Rule of ‘Thank U, Next’ by Getting Back With Her Ex

I tried to warn her. I really did. But no warning could stop the high-summer Mercury retrograde from reuniting these two former lovers.

Yep. Ariana Grande is officially back together with her ex Ricky Alvarez, who you might know from: “wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh…” (as heard on “thank u next”). It was only a month ago that Grande’s showmance with Ethan Slater came to an end after three years of dating, but little did we know that she and Slater had actually been broken up for several months, and that the only logical sequel to a showmance as scandalous as that was the time-honored tradition of getting back with one’s ex.

Grande was first spotted having lunch with Alvarez a few weeks ago while on a leg of her Eternal Sunshine tour in Austin. The two dated for about a year, circa 2015, during which Alvarez worked as Grande’s backup dancer, but they remained friendly after breaking it off. During those Austin shows, she struck fear into fans by subtly changing lyrics in “thank u next.” Not once, but twice. The first, “wrote some songs about Ricky, now they still kind of slap,” and again, “wrote some songs about Ricky, I know he’s still got my back.” On her Monday night in Brooklyn, she changed the lyric for a final time to “wrote some songs about Ricky, we always find our way back.” Uh oh…

And as of Tuesday, TMZ and People report that the couple is back together, albeit “taking things very slowly.” The source added that Ariana has always considered Ricky a friend and hasn’t harbored any ill will since their breakup a decade ago. “Ricky is dependable, trustworthy, and very supportive. Ariana feels she can be herself around Ricky.”

“They’re not jumping into anything serious right away, but Ari is happy to have him back in her life,” the source said. Ariana breaking the cardinal rule of “thank u next”—the key takeaway being the NEXT part—is worse than a recession indicator. This might be an indicator of a global economic depression.

this is exactly what we meant when we said 2026 is the new 2016 https://t.co/3dNxCj5S48

— arianators wildin (@arianatorswildt) July 14, 2026

“He has such great, positive energy, makes her laugh, and she enjoys spending time with him,” the source added. Well. I’m happy she’s happy. But as I said two weeks ago, and will say again whenever the opportunity presents itself: This is your sign to not get back with that man. Next!

Keep scrolling for more great stories.