Ariana Grande and her boyfriend, Ricky Álvarez, were practically floating on a cloud as they made their red carpet re-debut after recently rekindling their romance.
The “Hate That I Made You Love Me” singer, 33, was photographed staring lovingly into Alvarez’s eyes as they attended the premiere of her comedy blockbuster Focker In-Law at New York City’s famed Beacon Theatre on Wednesday, November 11.
Grande looked suitably glamorous in a vintage silver-and-plaid Badgley Mischka gown, with her signature ponytail tied by a white ribbon. Álvarez opted for a black jacket over a white open collar button-up shirt and cuffed jeans.
The couple stood together for photos before Álvarez, 35, stepped to the side so that his world-famous girlfriend could pose solo for the flashbulbs.
Grande’s relatively new rekindled romance with Álvarez is truly a full-circle moment for her. The two originally dated for around a year after Álvarez served as a backup dancer on Grande’s Honeymoon Tour in 2014.
After their 2016 split, Grande name-checked Álvarez alongside numerous exes in her 2018 single “Thank U, Next,” singing, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh.”
The following year, Grande confirmed on The Zach Sang Show that she was on good terms with Álvarez, adding that he frequently teased her about the “Thank U, Next.”
“Ricky loved it. He was proud. 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,” Grande explained. “I could’ve said, ‘Wrote some songs about Ricky, never mind he’s trash.’ … But I didn’t. I said, ‘Now I listen and laugh.’”
Nearly a decade later, fans suspected that Grande may have rekindled her romance with Álvarez over the summer when he attended multiple shows on her Eternal Sunshine Tour.
Grande also started tweaking her “Thank U, Next” lyrics to reflect more fondly on her time with Álvarez, singing “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Know he still got my back” and later “Wrote some songs about Ricky / We always find our way back” on various concert dates.
On August 12, Grande and Álvarez made their reconciliation Instagram official when the singer shared photos of them wearing coordinated outfits and cuddling up together.
An insider exclusively revealed to Us in July that Grande and Álvarez “always shared a close bond,” though they grew closer following her split from Wicked costar Ethan Slater in June.
“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 source told Us.
Grande and Slater, 34, separated after dating for two years, with a separate insider confirming in June that their parting was “amicable.”
“They gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways,” the revealed to Us. “They are still friends and very supportive of one another. They have been quietly broken up for several months.”
