The short answer? Yes. Ariana Grande was married, but the details of that chapter are a world away from the high-glitz, stadium-sized spectacles we usually associate with the "7 Rings" singer. Honestly, it was one of the few times she managed to keep her private life actually private, at least for a while.
The world watched as she moved from a whirlwind, high-profile engagement with Pete Davidson in 2018 to a much more grounded, low-key romance during the pandemic. That relationship with Dalton Gomez, a luxury real estate agent, eventually led her down the aisle in a ceremony so intimate it barely made a ripple until the photos hit Instagram weeks later.
But as with many "pandemic romances," the transition back to real-world chaos and international filming schedules proved to be a breaking point.
The Marriage to Dalton Gomez: How It All Started
Ariana and Dalton’s story didn't start under the flashes of paparazzi bulbs. Instead, they were first linked in early 2020 after they were spotted together in Los Angeles. By May of that year, he made his "official" debut in the music video for "Stuck with U," her collaboration with Justin Bieber. It was the height of lockdown—a time when everyone was stuck inside—and for a global superstar, that isolation was actually a gift. It gave them a bubble.
They got engaged in December 2020. She posted a photo of a unique ring—a diamond paired with a pearl—captioned "forever n then some."
The Secret Montecito Wedding
On May 15, 2021, Ariana Grande officially became a married woman. Forget the massive venues or the 500-person guest lists you’d expect for a pop princess. She chose her own home in Montecito, California.
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The guest list was tiny. Less than 20 people.
It was a candlelight ceremony, very "Vogue," but also very personal. She wore a custom Vera Wang gown—white silk charmeuse with an empire waist—which she’d apparently made a pact with the designer to wear years prior at the Met Gala. Her father, Ed Butera, walked her down the aisle, which was a huge moment for fans who followed their years of estrangement and reconciliation. It looked like the "happily ever after" everyone wanted for her after the trauma of the Manchester bombing and the tragic loss of Mac Miller.
Why Did Ariana Grande Get Divorced?
By early 2023, the bubble had burst. People started noticing she wasn't wearing her ring, specifically at Wimbledon in July 2023 where she was seen sitting between Andrew Garfield and Jonathan Bailey.
The timeline of the split is a bit messy, depending on who you ask. Official court documents later revealed their date of separation was February 20, 2023. This was right around the time she was deep into filming the Wicked movies in London. Long distance is hard for anyone, but when you're playing Glinda the Good Witch and your husband is a real estate agent tied to his desk in Los Angeles, the cracks form fast.
- Distance: Filming in the UK meant months apart.
- Lifestyle differences: Dalton reportedly struggled with the sheer scale of her fame once the world "re-opened" post-COVID.
- The Ethan Slater Factor: Rumors began to swirl that Ariana had moved on with her Wicked co-star, Ethan Slater.
The divorce was settled fairly quickly by Hollywood standards. Ariana agreed to pay Dalton a one-time lump sum of $1,250,000. She also split the proceeds from the sale of their L.A. home and covered up to $25,000 of his attorney fees. It was a "clean break" with no ongoing alimony, thanks to a solid prenuptial agreement. Their divorce became 100% final in March 2024.
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The Pete Davidson Engagement: Almost Married
Before Dalton, there was the Pete Davidson era. You remember it—the "BDE" summer of 2018. They got engaged after only a few weeks of dating. They moved into a $16 million apartment in New York. They got matching tattoos. They even got a pet pig named Piggy Smallz.
But they never actually made it to the altar.
The relationship crumbled in October 2018, just a month after the death of her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller. Pete later admitted that he knew the relationship was over once Mac passed away, as the grief was simply too heavy for their "whirlwind" to survive. It was a chaotic time that she later processed through the album thank u, next.
Is Ariana Grande Married Now?
No. As of early 2026, Ariana Grande is not married.
She has been in a long-term, somewhat controversial relationship with Ethan Slater since the summer of 2023. The drama mostly stems from the fact that both were still technically married to other people when the news of their relationship first broke. Slater filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay, shortly after the rumors went public, and that divorce was finalized in late 2024.
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Ariana seems to be leaning into this new chapter, frequently appearing with Slater at red-carpet events for the Wicked press tour and referencing her experiences in her latest music.
What to Take Away From Ariana's Relationship History
If you're looking for a lesson in Ariana's "was she married" saga, it’s probably about the difficulty of maintaining privacy when you're one of the most famous people on Earth. She tried the "private" marriage, and it lasted two years. She tried the "very public" engagement, and it lasted five months.
Today, she seems more focused on her work and a relationship that grew out of a shared creative project. Whether she'll walk down the aisle again is anyone's guess, but for now, she's legally single and seemingly happy in the "Eternal Sunshine" of her current life.
If you’re tracking her legal status for any reason—like settling a bet or just curious about her discography's inspiration—just remember that the $1.25 million settlement with Dalton Gomez is the official closing chapter on her first marriage. You can find most of the emotional "truth" of that breakup scattered throughout the lyrics of her 2024 album.
Check the Official Records
If you want to verify these details yourself, the Los Angeles Superior Court filings from March 19, 2024, are the definitive source for the finalization of her divorce. For the wedding details, the Vogue exclusive from May 2021 remains the only place with authorized photos of the event.