Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson's Relationship: A Timeline
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson have become one of the most buzzed-about couples this summer and have melted our hearts with their slew of adorable moments. Since news of their engagement broke earlier this month, we’ve been following the duo closely. From analyzing cryptic tweets to comparing images of cloud-shaped phone cases, there’s nothing we won’t do to keep track of these two lovebirds.
What might seem like a several-month whirlwind romance to most appears to have actually been a slow burn that steadily built up over several years. Reports have suggested Ariana and Pete’s engagement will be long, but at the rate this story is accelerating, it’s impossible to tell. In addition to decorating a new apartment with her fiancé, Ariana is busy promoting her forthcoming album Sweetener, releasing music videos, launching a perfume, and actively stanning Jupiter.
Clearly, Ariana has a lot on her plate. But if you're still trying to piece together how everything led up to Ariana and Pete’s relationship, here's a play-by-play of everything from their Saturday Night Live meet-cute to the most recent #Pariana development.
September 2014: The meet-cute, part 1.
It’s hard to say when exactly Ariana Grande met Pete Davidson. On Twitter, fans have theorized it could’ve happened as early as 2014, when Ariana appeared the musical guest on SNL’s season 40 premiere. That episode also happened to be Pete’s debut as an SNL cast member.
March 2016: The meet-cute, part 2.
Two years later, Ariana performed on SNL again. This time, she was both the host and musical guest (you'll probably remember that hilarious Tidal-themed sketch that showed off her impeccable impersonations). Pete made a brief appearance during her opening monologue, but at the time, Ariana was with Mac Miller and Pete had just started dating writer and actor Cazzie David. Sources, however, say Ariana and Pete kept in touch over the years.
But there's another possible Easter egg: in an SNL sketch from November 2017, Pete wore a black, bunny-eared headpiece to a masquerade ball. Looking back, it’s hard to deny the mask’s similarity to Ariana’s signature Dangerous Woman bunny ears. Hmm.
May 2018: The #Pariana sightings begin.
On May 12, Ariana and Pete were reportedly seen together at an SNL after-party. Outside the party, Ariana was photographed with an adorable, cloud-shaped phone case. Fans later pointed out how much it resembled Pete’s phone case, and the plot thickened.
In early May, outlets began reporting that Ariana had broken up with her long-term boyfriend Mac. She then publicly addressed their amicable split with a tender Instagram Story post, calling Mac one of her "best friends." Less than a week later, Pete confirmed his break-up with Cazzie.
On May 20, Ariana kicked off the 2018 Billboard Music Awards by performing her new single, “No Tears Left To Cry.” Pete was reportedly on hand backstage to support her, and the two spent the rest of the night hanging out with Ariana's friends. The next day, dating rumors started swirling. Anonymous sources reportedly confirmed the new relationship had "just started," but was "very casual." Ariana and Pete chose not to comment on the reports.
Then came the matching tattoos. Shortly after the reports began circulating, fans noticed Ariana and Pete’s matching finger tattoos. One fan posted a side-by-side comparison on Twitter, revealing a tiny, identical cloud emoji in the same spot on their left hands. And suddenly, the clouds lifted and everything became… slightly clearer.
Both of them also faced criticism from trolls about aspects of their own dating lives. In late May, Ariana clapped back on Twitter after someone blamed her for Mac’s reported arrest for driving under the influence. Two days later, Pete took to Instagram Stories with a lengthy statement about destigmatizing mental health after some on Twitter suggested he was unable to be in a stable relationship because of his borderline personality disorder diagnosis.
Ariana and Pete rounded out the rest of May with some pretty cute dates. They apparently spent Memorial Day Weekend roasting marshmallows together and continued to comment on each other's Instagram posts.
Finally, they became Instagram official. On May 30, Pete shared a photo of the two in matching Hogwarts robes on Instagram. He captioned the photo, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.” And not long after, Ariana commented, "u tryna slytherin (i'm deleting my account now)." But thankfully, she didn’t.
June 2018: Things only get sweeter.
At the beginning of June, Pete got two more Ari-inspired tattoos: her initials and her Dangerous Woman mask. And from there, the Instagram PDA intensified.
A lot of flirty public comments and cloud emojis flew back and forth throughout the month. Ariana joked about having Pete’s kids. Pete posted a very thirsty Instagram Story after Ariana’s Wango Tango performance, where she debuted her new single "The Light Is Coming" (and, as we’d later learn, a certain teardrop-shaped diamond ring). And ultimately, Ariana’s Instagram feed became a self-described “Pete Davidson update acc.” The pair attended Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s listening party together, Pete gushed about Ariana during his set at Hollywood Improv Show, and Pete was also at the dinner for Ariana's mother Joan Grande's birthday. If mom approves, we definitely approve.
And then came the reports that Ariana and Pete were engaged. On June 11, multiple outlets reported they'd taken the major step in their relationship. The two stayed quiet on the matter, but later that day, Ariana seemingly confirmed the news by liking congratulatory tweets from fans. But here’s the gag: the engagement had apparently been hiding in plain sight. People pointed out that for nearly two weeks, Ariana had been quietly sporting a teardrop-shaped diamond ring.
Then, it looks like the two celebrated their engagement with a trip to Disneyland on June 11. They were spotted kissing, laughing, riding Space Mountain and being very cute with Ariana’s older brother Frankie Grande and Pete’s younger sister Casey. Ariana paired her engagement ring with some Minnie Mouse ears, and it instantly became an iconic look.
In mid-June, Pete finally shared a Instagram post featuring Ariana's ring. And soon after, Ariana casually referenced a new apartment in her Instagram story, putting fans on high alert about a possible move-in.
Oh, and Ariana wrote some music dedicated to her beau. On June 17, Ariana released a teaser of a song from her new album, Sweetener. On Twitter, she later revealed the snippet was from an interlude fittingly titled “Pete.” Be still, our hearts.
The following day, Ariana posted an Instagram Story in which she's seen rug shopping with her fiancé. And almost immediately, viewers realized Ariana was rocking some new ink. In a close-up shot of her hand, the letters "H2GKMO” were clearly visible. Fans quickly deduced the acronym stood for “honest to god knock me out,” a phrase Ariana tweeted earlier this month. She eventually showed off her matching tattoo with friend Courtney Chipolone on Instagram. Pete was tagged in the clip, along with a couple other friends. But it’s unclear whether he got the same tattoo.
On June 20, it was reported that the pair moved into a $16 million, five-bedroom apartment in New York. The complex comes with a private IMAX theater and a 75-foot pool. During a June 20 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Pete officially confirmed the long-rumored engagement. "It's f**king lit,” he said. "I feel like I won a contest."
It's clear there's a lot of love between Pete and Ariana. In many ways, this relationship is a fresh start for both of them. After a fan remarked that the album cover for Sweetener is in color, whereas most of Ariana's social media posts and album covers are in black and white, the pop star swooped in with a perfect response. "issa new chapter ☁️,” she tweeted. “For the first time my life is in color as well."
And with everything that has happened over the last two months, surely there'll be more to come.
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