After TMZ broke news of Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez having separated in January, more sources have spoken out to other outlets about what happened. The consistent message is that Grande and Gomez really are amicable and just realized their marriage isn’t working.
A source told Page Six, “They came to the decision together [to divorce]. They were having problems before January, but they want to remain best friends.”
People’s source echoed the former couple’s aspirations to stay friendly. “[They] have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship [since separating],” that insider said.
Entertainment Tonight got more detail from a source, who said the former couple’s friends had been worried about the speed in which things escalated between them. “Ariana and Dalton’s friends have always been concerned by their whirlwind romance and felt their relationship would ultimately be short-lived,” the source said. “Their relationship has been rocky at different points, and they’ve had trouble making time for each other with scheduling issues.”
All of these sources support what TMZ initially reported via its own insiders connected to the couple. Those sources revealed that Grande and Gomez separated in January, they are “heading for divorce,” and they privately tried to reconcile a few months ago. Obviously, the reconciliation didn’t work out.
While Grande has been filming Wicked since December in the U.K., her and Gomez’s issues predate that particular project. Grande and Gomez started dating in early 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone (and many new couples) into quarantine together. They got engaged at the end of that year, then married in May 2021.
Grande hasn’t posted a photo of Gomez on Instagram since November 2022. She sparked speculation that she and her husband had issues when she was photographed out at Wimbledon over the weekend, sans wedding ring.
Grande has yet to comment on the reports about her and Gomez. She instead posted a carousel of joyful photos from her time at Wimbledon this morning, shortly before reports about her and Gomez’s separation broke.
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
