Hello, good afternoon, did you hear Ariana Grande's new album Eternal Sunshine, partly inspired by the rise and fall of her romance with real estate agent Dalton Gomez? The couple tied the knot back in May 2021 in a low-key ceremony with just 20 people witnessing their union, and Ari’s rep confirmed the marriage news in a statement to People, saying, “The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”
It’s been a few years since, but on July 17, 2023, breakup reports broke. At the time, TMZ said the couple had been separated since January 2023 and now, they're finalizing their divorce. Here’s what to know about Ari and Dalton’s relationship, from their early days to Eternal Sunshine.
A Rundown on Ari...
This timeline is in reverse chronological order, so all the recent juicy details will be at the very top!
March 19, 2024
Though Ari and Dalton's divorce was finalized in October, court documents obtained by the Associated Press reveal that a Los Angeles Superior Court judgment "dissolving their marriage of nearly three years" officially went into effect six months after the pair filed. Ariana's petition cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
March 8, 2024
Ariana releases her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, and fans theorize that there are songs that allude to her and Dalton's separation, as well as her budding romance with Ethan.
Presenting: A Deep Dive Into 'Eternal Sunshine'
October 6, 2023
Dalton and Ariana's divorce has been finalized. The Grammy winner reportedly agreed to pay her ex $1.25 million, according to TMZ.
September 18, 2023
Fast forward to September—Ari files for divorce, according to People. Dalton also reportedly filed for divorce shortly after.
Find the Deets Here
The pair was "taking their time together to slowly work through the details of the agreement privately," according to a source, who also says "They’ve been really caring and respectful of one another through every step of this process." The insider reveals that the split was "kind and patient" and that they've each "moved on."
July 20, 2023
A few days after news of Ariana and Dalton's divorce breaks, multiple sources confirm that she's in a relationship with her Wicked co-star, Ethan Slater. At this point, Ethan is reportedly separated from his ex-wife, Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a child.
Here's the Full Scoop:
July 17, 2023
Just a day after she was spotted sans her wedding ring at Wimbledon, TMZ broke the news that Ariana and Dalton have been separated since January 2023 and are “heading toward divorce.”
The outlet says the couple has been spending more time apart lately as Ari has filmed Wicked and added, “We’re told a few months back, the two tried a reconciliation but it failed.”
Per TMZ, “They remain friends and still talk on the phone regularly.”
Neither Ariana nor Dalton has spoken publicly about the alleged split just yet, but stay tuned.
July 16, 2023
Ari attends Wimbledon in London with her Wicked co-star, Jonathan Bailey. Fans were quick to notice that she wasn't wearing her wedding ring, thus sparking divorce rumors.
Karwai Tang//Getty Images
Karwai Tang//Getty Images
And Andrew Garfield Was There!
May 15, 2023
Ariana celebrated her 2-year anniversary with Dalton by posting a classic and cute black and white photo from her wedding day. "I love him so," Ari wrote alongside a number "2" and "3.5 together."
Ariana Grande//Instagram
August 7, 2022
In a promo video for her brand, r.e.m beauty, Ariana is spotted without her wedding ring on. "I'm just not wearing my wedding ring, it's getting cleaned. I'm not getting a divorce before you start, don't," she said upon the clip's release, per People.
February 16, 2022
Happy Valentine's Day from Ari and Dalton and their chic 'fits:
November 25, 2021
The pair celebrates Thanksgiving with each other's families, according to a since-deleted Instagram carousel with this sweet pic of Ari, Dalton, and her famous pup Toulouse:
Ariana Grande//Instagram
"Nothing was ever as loud … sending you all so much love i hope you feel it from here," she captioned the post.
August 21, 2021
A couple of weeks after Dalton's birthday, Ari shares a rare glimpse into their home life together with a (since-deleted) Instagram carousel, including *this* pic:
August 7, 2021
Ari celebrates Dalton's birthday with a sweet post on her Instagram Story, writing, "Happy birthday to my baby my husband my best friend. I love you infinitely." 🥹
Ariana Grande//Instagram
June 16, 2021
Now that Ari and Dalton are a newly married couple, they feel like they can be chill in their relationship—yay! Per Entertainment Tonight, “Ariana and Dalton felt like before they were married, they couldn’t be as open about their relationship without it being scrutinized in the media and now they feel way more at ease,” a source tells the outlet. “They have plans to travel more together and feel closer than ever.” Ugh, love that for them!
That same day, the couple was also spotted attending Christina Aguilera's concert at Hollywood's Rose Bowl, per Ari's Instagram Story:
Ariana Grande//Instagram
May 17, 2021
Ariana and Dalton get married in secret over the weekend!!! TMZ breaks the news first—their source says Ari and Dalton exchanged vows at her Montecito home and didn’t have much of a “ceremony” in favor of keeping it more “informal.” It’s also unclear if Ariana and Dalton planned on getting married going into the weekend or if it was a ~spur-of-the-moment~ thing.
Ariana’s rep confirms the marriage news in a statement to People and provides additional intel on what the big day was like: “It was tiny and intimate—less than 20 people. The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.” A source also tells People, “Ari and Dalton love Montecito. They spend a lot of time there…it seems only natural that they would get married at Ari’s beautiful and historic house.”
More on that here 👇
April 8, 2021
Wedding planning has officially commenced! According to E! News, Ari and Dalton “both do not want a huge extravagant event, so they are figuring out what their options are for an intimate ceremony,” a source explains.
Even though Dalton and Ari want a small ceremony, E!’s source says the two “are very madly in love. Dalton treats Ariana like a queen and they have a lot of fun together.”
April 7, 2021
Wedding details for Ari and Dalton start to materialize, and it seems like they’re settling on a summer date to exchange vows! “Ariana and Dalton’s wedding will happen early summer,” an insider tells Us Weekly. “They have been looking at venues in a few different cities but are most likely choosing California.”
It also seems like Ari and Dalton aren’t in the mood for a big bash either. Us’s source says they want a “very small and intimate affair” and adds that “nothing will officially happen until it’s safe,” referring to the pandemic.
April 3, 2021
Ari posts a rare snap of her and Dalton snuggling near a fireplace for no particular reason, and she writes a v cute caption that says, “!!! my heart my person !!! thank u so much for being u.” Why are they so adorable?
January 6, 2021
Here’s a lil update on what’s happening in Ari and Dalton’s world: According to Entertainment Tonight, they “have been spending a ton of time together since getting engaged and keeping things pretty low-key and private. They’re mainly keeping to themselves and just enjoying their time together.”
Sounds great, but the bad news is that some of Ari’s closest peeps “think the engagement was somewhat rushed and are skeptical that the relationship will ultimately be short-lived.” Yikes.
December 25, 2020
Dalton spends his first Christmas with the Grandes as Ari’s fiancé, and all appears to be well as he’s seen posing for pics with her family members!
December 20, 2020
BIIIIIG NEWS: Ariana and Dalton are engaged! Ari announces the news on her Instagram with a gorgeous shot of the ring, cheekily captioning the snap, “Forever n then some.”
An Us Weekly source shares how Ari’s feeling post-engagement, saying, “She has really enjoyed getting to know and falling in love with Dalton out of the spotlight, something she didn’t get to do in her past relationships” and “they are so in love and committed to spend the rest of their lives together.” Ugh, love to hear it!
October 30, 2020
Arianators are freaking TF out because Ari’s newest single, “34+35,” is easily the horniest song she’s ever released. I mean…the song title literally is equivalent to 69, which is a sex position. Poor Dalton is all the fans can talk about, and we get some great meme content out of it, of course:
August 7, 2020
It’s Dalton’s birthday! And like a great GF, Ari posts a cute photo set of her mans to the ’gram. “Hbd to my baby my best friend my fav part of all the days :) I love u,” she writes.
June 27, 2020
Ariana has a Midsommar-themed birthday party, and there are photo booth pics involved, which leads to her and Dalton sharing an adorable kiss in one of the snaps!!
June 26, 2020
Just ahead of Ari’s 27th trip around the sun, she and Dalton take the next big step in their relationship by going Instagram official. Ari loves to bury some of her most important pics in photo dumps, but this is the photo that sets the internet on fire:
May 8, 2020
Dalton makes his first-ever public appearance in Ariana and Justin Bieber’s “Stuck With U” video, and no surprise here, they look cute AF:
March 25, 2020
A source tells People that Ariana has been dating her mystery man—who we now know is Dalton Gomez—since January 2020. Ari and Dalton (as well as some friends) are shacking up together at the beginning of the pandemic, a second source tells the outlet.
“Ariana is staying at home with friends. She is very serious about self distancing and has been with the same group of people for days,” the source says. “One of the people she is with right now is Dalton—they have been hanging out for a couple of months. Ariana doesn’t want to do another public relationship so she is trying to keep this one quiet, but she seems very happy with Dalton.”
February 11, 2020
Ariana is spotted kissing a mystery man at a gastropub in Los Angeles (LOL)—little did we know this would be her future husband. 😭
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