Ariana Grande Dines With Ex Ricky Alvarez After June 25 Lyric Change

Q: Is Ariana Grande's rekindled romance with an ex genuine, or a perfectly timed publicity stunt?

There is not enough verified evidence to say Ariana Grande has genuinely rekindled a romance with Ricky Alvarez, and there is also no solid proof it is a publicity stunt. What is confirmed is limited: Grande changed a “Thank U, Next” lyric during her Austin show, and paparazzi photos circulated showing her and Alvarez having a meal the next day. Given their dating history from 2015 to 2016 and reports that they stayed friendly afterward, those details are enough to spark speculation but not to establish a relationship. The timing naturally invites suspicion. Grande is on her first major tour since 2019, has a new album, “Petal,” arriving July 31, and remains under intense public scrutiny after her reported split from Ethan Slater. In that context, any personal-life hint can amplify attention. But that does not make it manufactured. Artists often tweak lyrics on tour, and reporting tied to the rumor cycle has also noted that viral claims of a confirmed reunion were false and that there is “no real proof” they are dating. The stronger reading, based on available facts, is that this is an unconfirmed rumor built on suggestive but thin evidence. It could reflect a friendly reunion, a renewed romance, or simply fan overinterpretation of a lyric change and a public outing. Until Grande or Alvarez addresses it directly, calling it either genuine or a stunt would go beyond the evidence.

3 articles · Updated · Cosmopolitan · Jun 26

Paparazzi photos shared by fan accounts showed Ariana Grande having a meal with ex Ricky Alvarez a day after her June 25 tour stop, fueling reunion speculation after her reported split from Ethan Slater.
Onstage that night, Grande tweaked her “Thank U, Next” line from “Now I listen and laugh” to “And they still really slap,” drawing attention because the song explicitly names Ricky.
Ricky Alvarez and Grande dated from 2015 to 2016 and appeared to remain friendly after their breakup, leaving open the possibility that the meetup was platonic.
Grande, now on her first major tour since 2019’s Sweetener World Tour, has not publicly addressed any dating rumors tied to the sighting.