Ariana Grande was spotted hanging out with ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez in Austin, Texas, but sources are quick to shut down any suggestions of a romantic rekindling.
Photos circulating on social media showed THANKS, Following singer smiling and chatting with her former backup dancer at a restaurant on Thursday, sparking immediate speculation.
Grande is currently in Austin for her Eternal sun tour, and a source said TMZ she was simply celebrating her 33rd birthday with friends.
There “is nothing romantic between Ariana and Ricky this time around,” the source said. She was also spotted taking photos with fans during the outing.
Grande and Alvarez, both 33, had a brief romantic relationship after he joined her Honeymoon Tour in 2015.
They have remained friends ever since, and Grande warmly referenced him in her 2019 hit. Thanks, Nextsinging “I wrote a few songs about Ricky / Now I listen and I laugh.”
The two were also seen spending time together in New York in 2019, causing similar rumors to spiral, which Grande quickly shut down at the time via a since-deleted tweet declaring that she was dating “no one.”
The latest sighting comes just weeks after announcing his split from Wicked her co-star Ethan Slater, 34, whom she had quietly broken up with for several months before the story went public earlier this month.
“Ariana and Ethan broke up several months ago but have remained friends ever since and have nothing but respect and admiration for each other,” a source said. Page six on June 8.
“It wasn’t a decision they took lightly, but they realized they were better off as friends than in a committed relationship.”
Grande, by all accounts, is in a good place.
The same source noted that she was “feeling really happy and focused on the next chapter with her.” Eternal sun tour and the upcoming release of his album Petal“.
A birthday dinner with old friends, no matter how it may seem on the Internet, seems to be exactly that.
