In July 2023, Ariana Grande made headlines when it was reported that she and Dalton Gomez were headed for divorce after two years of marriage. Those reports were eventually turned out to be true and, in March 2024, Gomez and Grande’s divorce was finalized. Around that same month, the songstress marked the debut of her latest musical compilation, Eternal Sunshine, which was widely viewed as a “divorce album.” Since then, Grande has been somewhat candid about the split and explained why she “felt OK” to go there with her music.
The 31-year-old Grammy winner notably discussed her music and the media attention surrounding her while appearing on The Zach Sang Show. During the conversation, the eponymous host asked the star which songs on Eternal Sunshine were the hardest and easiest to write. When it comes to the former, Ariana Grande named the second track, “bye,” which has the singer opening up about leaving a partner. Grande said it was challenging to craft because she didn’t want it to come of as a “fuck you” to the other person.
While chatting with Zach Sang on the podcast (parts of which can be seen on YouTube), the songstress didn’t name-drop her former spouse. She did, however, emotionally credit her mother – who divorced the multihyphenate’s father when she was 8 – for giving her the strength to dive deep into her own feelings via the track. As the former Nickelodeon actress explained:
The reason why I felt OK to go there was because of my mom, honestly. … I think growing up, you want what you don’t have. My parents got divorced for all the right reasons. They weren’t supposed to be together, and you sort of crave, when you grow up, the happily ever after. The one is the one is the one. So you ignore all these issues, and you cling on to that fairytale. You kind of self abandon, and I think my mom is a fierce example of not doing that. And a massive thing that I learned in my year of Saturn Return is that my fears of replicating a certain cycle was actually the opposite. I was like, ‘Oh wow, I want to be so much more like her than I am. I want to have the strength to say “bye” kindly when something isn’t fucking right.’ It’s as simple as that.
A vast amount of rumors swirled around Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez’s relationship after the initial divorce report surfaced. Insiders claimed around that time that the two had been separated for months before the filing was submitted. After the split was finalized, news outlets obtained legal documents that included details on the former couple’s settlement. Real estate worker Gomez apparently received a one-time payment of $1,250,000 from Grande, who also agreed to pay up to $25,000 of his legal fees. In addition, Gomez was set to receive half of the proceeds from the sale of the house he and his ex-wife owned in LA.
Following the split, sources alleged that Dalton Gomez was still adjusting to life following his marriage. It was around that same time that Ariana Grande was romantically linked to her fellow Wicked cast member, Ethan Slater. Rumors suggested that the two had gotten together while they were both still married to their respective spouses, though it’s subsequently been said that both were separated from their partners at the time. Slater recently opened up about falling in love with Grande and receiving attention due to their relationship.
The Glinda actress’ decision to channel her personal feelings about divorce into Eternal Sunshine shows that she’s willing to be vulnerable through her art when it feels right. It’s also very apparent that her mother served as an inspiration on that front as well. Whether the A-lister continues to reflect on her since-dissolved marriage in other ways remains to be seen.
You can see Ariana Grande in Wicked, which is now playing in theaters. Those who’ve already seen it and are looking for other quality flicks, can look over CinemaBlend’s 2024 movie schedule for some guidance in that regard.
