Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez: The Exes Reconnecting

Sometimes the best support system circles back around. That’s what seems to be happening with Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez, her ex-boyfriend and former backup dancer who’s become a fixture in her life once again after a period of distance.

The two were spotted leaving a Whole Foods in Boca Raton, Florida, on Saturday, July 4, and according to an insider, their rekindled closeness is very much intentional.“They’ve always shared a close bond,”the source tells Us Weekly of Grande, 33, and Alvarez, 34.“There was a period in time where they weren’t close — while she was with Ethan [Slater] — so she is happy to reconnect with him again.”The kicker?“Ariana is grateful to have him in her life right now, and he’s been a huge source of support.”

Their history spans a decade. Grande and Alvarez met when he joined her team as a backup dancer on her Honeymoon Tour in February 2015. They started dating that April and split in July 2016. But their connection clearly left a mark — Grande famously name-dropped him in her 2018 hit“Thank U, Next,”singing,“Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh.”The track also featured nods to other exes, including Big Sean, Pete Davidson, and the late Mac Miller, who died in 2018 of an accidental overdose at age 26.

Grande even revealed Alvarez’s take on being immortalized in the song during a 2019 appearance on the Zach Sang Show.“Ricky loved it. He was proud,”she recalled.“But Ricky was like,‘Why did I get the worst line?’And I was like,‘What do you mean?’He was like,‘Everyone else’s line is so nice, and mine is like,‘Man, f*** him, he’s trash.’I was like I could have said that.'”Clearly, they’ve maintained some humor about the whole thing.

The real signal of their renewed bond? Grande changed the lyric during her Eternal Sunshine Tour stop in Austin, Texas, on June 26. She sang,“Wrote some songs about Ricky, I know he still got my back”— a direct flip from the original line. It’s not subtle, and it doesn’t need to be.

This reconnection comes after Grande’s split from Wicked costar Ethan Slater, 34, confirmed in June.“It’s amicable,”a source told Us.“They gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways. They are still friends and very supportive of one another. They have been quietly broken up for several months.”After relationships with Mac Miller (2016–2018), a brief engagement to Pete Davidson (2018), and marriage to Dalton Gomez (2020–2024), having an old friend and supporter back in her corner appears to be exactly what Grande needs right now.