Love Lessons We've Learned From Ariana Grande

Despite being only 31, Ariana Grande has quite a few relationships under her belt — including a three-year marriage. All these relationships, both the good and bad, have played out in the lyrics of her music, most notably in "Thank U, Next," in which she calls out her exes by name. But thanks to all these relationships, Grande has a wise take on what love is and isn't. Understanding that love is a complicated emotion, she's learned to incorporate it into her music in a way that feels right — and is inspired by all those men in her life.

"Showcasing both sides of [love] is kind of what I tried my very best to balance it and the music is, you know, this feeling can be true and this feeling can also be true simultaneously," Grande said when asked about her new album, "Eternal Sunshine," in 2024 by SpaceMusic Media. "I think that's something we can ignore sometimes."

Because Grande has always been somewhat open about her relationships, especially in her lyrics, there's a lot there to learn from. If you feel like you could use a lesson or two in love, then look no further than Grande and the ups and downs of her love life.

Two words: Pete Davidson. For some, his name alone induces the ick, while for others, a smirk comes across their face as they bite their lower lip and nod "yes," or more specifically, "heck yeah." Since shooting to fame as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live," Davidson has dated a whole slew of women, many of whom have made us scratch our heads and wonder what it is about Davidson that attracts all these talented and beautiful women. No matter the reason, everyone needs a Pete Davidson at some point in their life. Why? Because everyone needs to experience the excitement of a whirlwind engagement that, ideally, includes a couple of regrettable matching tattoos.

Although the couple first met in 2014 when Grande hosted SNL, it wouldn't be until May 2018 that the two would get together — a month that included their first matching tattoos with more to come. By June 11 of that year, the two were engaged. In August, Grande sat down with "Good Morning America" and said of Pete, "It's just like a feeling, you know? That's so cheesy. People are always like, 'When you know you know,' and you're like, 'Yeah, okay, whatever.' You just feel it ... He just ticks every box, and it gets better every day." By October, the couple had split.

One of Ariana Grande's longest and most notable relationships was with rapper Mac Miller from 2016 to 2018. Sadly in September 2018, Miller died of an accidental drug overdose. Not only did Grande have to suffer the heartbreak of that relationship ending, but the death of the person in that relationship. Considering the timeline of events, it's assumed Grande called it quits with Pete Davidson while trying to navigate those emotional waters.

Grande has always spoken highly of Miller and of the impact he had on her. Shortly after his death, Grande took to Instagram to post a now-deleted tribute: "i adored you from the day i met you when i was nineteen and i always will. i can't believe you aren't here anymore... you were my dearest friend. for so long. above anything else. i'm so sorry i couldn't fix or take your pain away. i really wanted to. the kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. i hope you're okay now. rest."

In a 2019 with Vogue, Grande talked about the pain of losing Miller and the grief that she still lives with every day, calling it all-consuming while also realizing in the same breath that there was only so much she could do for him and his addictions. "I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming ... less and less sticky," said Grande. "The pieces just started to float away."

There is undoubtedly life and love after divorce, but when you're in the throes of it and dealing with the emotional and mental toll, it can feel like you'll never make it through in one piece. But eventually you do and when you're ready, you'll fall in love again. However, for Grande, who's been dating Ethan Slater since 2023, what could have been a blissful thing following her divorce has been surrounded by rumors and speculation, like how the two were still married to their partners when they first started seeing each other. Something they both deny. In September 2024's issue of Vanity Fair, Grande briefly commented on the swirling drama concerning Slater saying, "There couldn't be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him."

But despite what the public might think, Grande isn't sweating it. Instead, she's enjoying this new chapter in her life. After all, she not only has a new album out, but she's starring in "Wicked" alongside Cynthia Erivo. "I try not to catastrophize. I try to stay present," Grande said during an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe. "I think that's a lot of our work as human beings, is to not live in the past or in the future, but to try and just be right here and focus on the present."

When you're a pop star constantly on tour and you are dating people in the same industry who have their own schedules, it can be difficult to maintain a relationship. According to a 2014 survey by Kiiroo, creator of teledildonic interactive sex toys, 58% of long-distance relationships work — but they require lots and lots of communication and really giving it your all. While we're not here to comment on her communication style, Ariana Grande has seen more than one relationship come to an end because of distance.

In 2012, Grande found herself in a very long-distance relationship with Australian YouTube star, Jai Brooks. The two were on and off for almost two years before they ended things. Brooks didn't take the breakup very well and accused Grande of cheating on him — something that Grande denies. Either way, Australia to the U.S. is quite a distance to travel, even for love. In 2015, Grande learned again that long-distance relationships are tricky when her short-lived relationship with Big Sean came to an end. The reason for the split, according to Us Weekly, was distance. "They made the decision to part ways because their conflicting touring schedules would keep them apart over the next year," a source told the magazine.

If there's one thing to take away from Ariana Grande's love life and her music, it's that she has a deep appreciation for her exes. While some singers like to drag their exes and all but summon their fans to go after their exes à la Taylor Swift, Grande has always been grateful for the impact her relationships have had on her and how they've formed the person she is today. After all, not many singers would pen a song entitled "Thank U, Next," with lyrics: "One taught me love / One taught me patience / And one taught me pain / Now, I'm so amazing ... Thank you, next / I'm so f***ing grateful for my ex."

But as much as Grande knows she has a lot to thank her past relationships for, she also knows that the most important relationship is the one you have with yourself. As they say, you can't truly love anyone else, if you don't love yourself first. "I've never looked at love as something that I need to complete me," Grande told Cosmopolitan for the April 2017 issue. "I would like to be complete on my own first and fall in love with somebody who is also complete. You can still celebrate and be totally obsessed with each other, but I want to feel a hundred percent myself so that I can love that person better."