Is Ariana Grande back with ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez? Former couple spotted together days after Ethan Slater split

Just days after news of her split from Ethan Slater made headlines, Ariana Grande has found herself at the centre of another wave of relationship rumours. The singer was recently spotted dining at a restaurant in Austin, Texas, alongside two male companions, and fans were quickly convinced that one of them was her former boyfriend, Ricky Alvarez. Photos from the outing have since gone viral across social media, with many wondering whether the former couple have rekindled their romance.


The images first surfaced on a Reddit snark forum dedicated to the singer. While Ariana's face was clear in the photo, the men were clearly not visible, but fans were quick to identify one of them as Ricky Alvarez. Internet sleuths pointed to his distinctive haircut and even claimed he was wearing the same T-shirt Ricky had been photographed in just days earlier.

The outing comes only weeks after reports confirmed that Ariana and Ethan Slater had quietly ended their relationship after nearly three years together. Entertainment Tonight reported that the pair had actually split several months ago but chose to keep the breakup private. Sources described the separation as amicable, adding that the two remain supportive of one another despite ending their romance.

As the photos spread online, social media users wasted no time sharing their theories.


One user wrote, "Aesthetic changes soon!!! Get ready!!!"

Another commented, "No way lmao; this man needs some dignity, and she's just sad."

A third joked, "This is the funniest shit. You will NEVER meet her on the street until she needs to show her fans that she has a man because they will spread this info for free instead of the PR team."

Others questioned Ariana's dating pattern altogether.

"Even outside of the cheating, it’s concerning Ariana can’t even last a few weeks being single. It would do her a lot of good to just be single for at least a year and work on forming an identity outside of relationships. She has no stable identity to begin with, hence her intense aesthetic changes, and that really isn’t a good mix for being in a relationship. Entire personality changes every few years aren’t normal," one lengthy comment read.

The restaurant sighting has also reignited cheating speculation online, although there is no evidence to support those claims.

One Reddit user claimed they had previously spotted clues suggesting Ricky visited Ariana while she was filming Wicked in London.

"Just want to add I commented on another post that he visited Ariana in London when she was filming Wicked as he was posting images in Hampstead Heath right next to her house. Obviously I didn’t have the stories, but I remember them and knew instantly. This was probably during the time that Ethan and Ariana blocked each other. He also liked her around that time too! Hopefully more people believe me now lol," the user alleged.


At this point, the claim remains entirely unverified, and neither Ariana nor Ricky has responded to the online theories.

The timing has only intensified fan speculation because Ariana recently made headlines for tweaking the lyrics to "thank u, next" during her Eternal Sunshine Tour. At her Austin concert, she also playfully updated the famous Ricky Alvarez lyric, changing "Now I listen and laugh" to "Now they still kinda slap", drawing loud cheers from the crowd. Fans immediately wondered whether the change was simply a fun callback or a subtle nod to her ex.

Ariana and Ricky Alvarez dated between 2015 and 2016 after meeting when he worked as one of her backup dancers. Although their romance ended after about a year, the two reportedly remained on good terms. Ricky later became immortalised in Ariana's 2018 hit "thank u, next", where she famously sang, "Wrote some songs about Ricky; now I listen and laugh."

Whether the latest Austin outing signals a romantic reunion or simply two exes catching up remains unknown. For now, a handful of viral photos have been enough to send the internet into full detective mode.