Ariana Grande & Pete Davidson Split: A Timeline From First Love to Calling Off Their Engagement

The couple got engaged just a few weeks after going public with their relationship and now things have come to a surprising halt.

From love at first sight to engagement and then to a heartbreaking split, the whirlwind romance between Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson has now come to an end.

After loving each other very loudly and publicly for five months, the couple that decided they were going to get married after a month of dating reportedly called it quits earlier this week. So how did we get here?

ET is taking a look back at the pair's high-profile, unconventional romance from its humble beginnings to its unfortunate finish.

Early May 2018: Synchronized Splits

The couple both ended long-term relationships this spring. After nearly two years together, Grande split from rapper Mac Miller shortly after they were last seen together at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April. A source told ET at the time, however, that the couple had been on the rocks for "a while" prior to the breakup.

Davidson, meanwhile, revealed in May that he had called it quits with girlfriend Cazzie David -- daughter of Seinfeld creator and Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David -- in an interview with Complex's Open Late With Peter Rosenberg. The SNL star didn't disclose much about their split, but had nothing but kind words for his ex, telling Rosenberg that she's a "very talented girl" and that "she'll do great, she'll be fine."

May 13, 2018: Saturday Night Love

Before going public with their relationship, Grande and Davidson were spotted together at an SNL after-party, following the Melissa McCarthy-hosted Mother's Day episode.

In fact, a source confirmed to ET that Grande first met Davidson's mother, Amy Waters Davidson, at one of the sketch show's infamous soirees. 

"Pete introduced Ariana to his mother at Zuma in New York during one of the SNL after-parties," the source told us. "Ariana spent the majority of the night hanging out with her [Amy], Pete was circulating the room with the cast, but Ariana was super comfortable being with [Amy]."

May 21, 2018: 'Casual Dating'

A source confirmed to ET that the pair were "casually dating," noting that while the relationship was new, Grande was "in a very good place" and "very happy."

May 23, 2018: Toxic Talk

Following her split from Miller -- and the rapper's subsequent arrest on a charge of DUI -- Grande fired back at a Twitter user who seemed to blame the singer for her ex's arrest. 

"How absurd you minimize female self-respect and self-worth by saying someone should stay in a toxic relationship because he wrote an album about them, which btw isn't the case (just Cinderella is ab me)," Grande tweeted. "I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be. I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course) but shaming/blaming women for a man's inability to keep his sh*t together is a very major problem."

"Let's please stop doing that," she continued. "Of course I didn't share how hard or scary it was while it was happening but it was. I will continue to pray from the bottom of my heart that he figures it all out and that any other woman in this position does as well."

May 24, 2018: Mental Health Discussion

The next day, Davidson took to social media himself to address comments on his own mental health -- the actor and comedian revealed last year that he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder -- and his relationship with Grande.

"Normally I wouldn't comment on something like this cause like f**k you," he wrote. "But I've been hearing a lot of 'people with BPD can't be in relationships' talk. I just wanna let you know that's not true. Just because someone has a mental illness does not mean they can't be happy and in a relationship. It also doesn't mean that person makes a relationship toxic."

"I just think it's f**ked up to stigmatize people as crazy and say that they are unable to do stuff that anyone can do," Davidson continued. "It's not their fault and it's the wrong way for people to look at things. I may be crazy but at least I'm aware of it and not afraid to be honest about it and I'm not hiding behind a Twitter or Instagram account."

The Set It Up star, who was diagnosed as a teenager with Crohn's disease and has been open about his battle with substance abuse, revealed he was sober for the first time in eight years in 2017. He said on Instagram that seeking professional help for his mental illness has changed his life "for the better." 

"I'm simply writing this because I want everyone out there who has an illness to know that it's not true and that anyone who says that is ill and full of s**t. Mental illness is not a joke it's a real thing. There's kids out there killing themselves. And it's f**king horrific," Davidson wrote. "For all those struggling I want you to know that I love you and I understand you and it is going to be okay. That's all. Love to everyone else."

May 30, 2018: Instagram Official

The cute pair showed off their love for Harry Potter in their first-ever social media pic together, when Davidson posted a shot of the couple in their Hogwarts finest -- Gryffindor robes for him, Slytherin for her. "The chamber of secrets has been opened," Davidson captioned the snap.

Grande commented twice on the photo, once with two emojis — the monkey covering its eyes and the blushing smiling face — and once with a Harry Potter joke. “U tryna slytherin (i’m deleting my account now),” the pop star wrote.

June 2, 2018: Linked and Inked

After going Insta official, Davidson made things even more permanent when he got inked with not one, but two tattoos in tribute to his lady love: a neck tattoo of a black bunny mask, similar to the one worn by Grande on the cover of her Dangerous Woman album, and a thumb tatt of her initials, "AG." 

Photos of the tattoos were posted on social media by Los Angeles tattoo artist London Reese. "We had a good night, somewhere in the hills of Los Angeles," Reese wrote on Instagram. "Pete loves him some Ariana."

That same day, Davidson posted an Instagram Story of Grande performing at the Billboard Music Awards, along with the caption: "Are you f**king kidding me!!!?? So f**king lit ????."

Not long after his post, Grande posted her own Story gushing right back. In a dark, close-up pic of her eye, the "No Tears Left to Cry" singer thanked fans in a series of messages, which included one very personal shout-out to her beau.

"Pete Davidson is the best person on earth, goodnight," she wrote on Instagram.

Pete Davidson/Instagram
Ariana Grande/Instagram

June 5, 2018: Sweet Support

A few days later, Davidson left an adorable comment on one of Grande's Instagram posts, which featured a series of images from her British Vogue cover shoot.

“Ummmmm hiiiiiiiii,” he wrote. “I’m the luckiest contest winner ever.”

The pop star replied to the kind message, writing: "@petedavidson sksjsjsjjajsjaa nahhhhhh I am."

The newly engaged pair also joked publicly about starting a family together in a social media exchange on June 5, when Davidson snapped a pic with Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry, then captioned the photo, "I'm having his kids."

Grande responded by commenting, "I look so good here," and her beau was all for it, replying with a row of drooling face emojis.

June 7, 2018: Accio All Our Chill

The pair's love for Harry Potter has been well-documented throughout their whirlwind relationship. Grande shared a video from a hotel room of Davidson ranting about her knowledge of all things Potter. The singer captioned the clip, "Hello i'm crying."

"I don’t know these weird facts that you know," Davidson, who has multiple Harry Potter tattoos, says in the vid, as Grande giggles in the background. "They don’t advance the story at all. Like, me knowing what Professor Quirrell's favorite scarf is, it’s just not what Harry Potter was to me. I've seen each movie at least 20 times. I'm sorry I don’t know what, like, Dumbledore's cat when he was four's name is because it just didn't advance the f**king story."

The adorable duo later attended a listening party for the new collaborative album between Kanye West and Kid Cudi, titled Kids See Ghosts, that night. At the bonfire bash, the couple continued to show off their newly public relationship. Davidson shared a pic with Grande the following day, simply captioned, "Feel the love."

Davidson told The Breakfast Club morning show in 2016 that Cudi's work had saved his life. "Cudi's the best of all," he said at the time. "He saved my life. I would've killed myself if I didn’t have Kid Cudi."

June 11, 2018: Put a Ring On It!

Fans couldn't contain their excitement when news broke that the SNL star proposed to Grande after just a few weeks of dating.

Interestingly enough, the brunette beauty had actually been rocking her massive sparkler a few times prior to the reveal -- during an unexpected interview with iHeartRadio's REAL 92.3's Big Boy at the Kids See Ghost party, and while posing for a photo with Super Bowl "Selfie Kid" Ryan McKenna.

ET later learned that the ring cost $93,000, and was commissioned by New York City jeweler Greg Yuna (aka Mr. Flawless). A source close to couple told us that the ring is a custom design, featuring a VVS1 clarity 3.03 carat diamond set in platinum, which took the jeweler two weeks to create. 

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

Following the exciting news, the lovebirds enjoyed a late-night adventure at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, with Grande's mother, Joan, and brother, Frankie.

Disney

June 13, 2018: Friends Approve

ET caught up with Grande's former Sam & Cat co-star, Jennette McCurdy, at the Damsel premiere in Los Angeles, where she had nothing but amazing things to say about the engagement.

"I'm super proud of her and excited for her," McCurdy gushed, telling ET she "better" get an invite to their wedding. "I hope that she's super happy."

"They seem like they're a great fit," she added. "From what I know of her, he seems like exactly a good person for her."

Davidson's Set It Up co-star, Glen Powell (who also worked with Grande on Scream Queens), echoed those sentiments when asked about the exciting news when he was a guest on SiriusXM’s Chicks in the Office podcast. "I just FaceTimed with him and Ari a second ago," he said. "It's been a wild ride for all of us."

"They're two sides of the same coin. I'll say they're both wonderfully bizarre in their own ways," he continued. "I actually think, look, I've only hung out with them a couple times together. I know Ari from Scream Queens. Pete and I met on this movie, but we talk all the time and he's become a really close buddy of mine."

And according to Nick Cannon, Davidson actually called him to share the news before he asked Grande for her hand in marriage. "He called before he was going to do it, and I said, 'Salud!'" Cannon told ET. "He was really excited, so I was like, 'I love it, man. Keep it going.' Love is in the air!" 

June 15: Pete's Perfect Week

The head-over-heels social media love hasn't stopped since news of their engagement broke, and Davidson was at it again with another sweet post.

"U know what you'd dream it be like?" Davidson captioned a black-and-white snap of Grande sitting on his lap, flashing her sparkler. "It's better than that."

Grande followed suit, tweeting, "I cant believe my life rn tbh. If i'm dreaming pls knock me the f**k back out."

June 18, 2018: Family Love

Grande's brother, Frankie, was ecstatic to gush over his sister's engagement news when ET caught up with him at Broadway Sings for Pride’s Revolution Annual Charity Concert in New York City.

"Oh, my god, I'm so happy for my sister, for my whole family," he raved. "Just as a family, we're in a really good place. It's a time to celebrate. It's joy, it's happiness -- it's the Grandes’ year. Look out for us ‘cause we'll be everywhere!”

June 19, 2018: Shopping Sweeties

The lovebirds were spotted out and about in New York City, shopping for furniture at Restoration Hardware. Grande sported an oversized brown sweatshirt and patterned thigh-high boots, while Davidson kept it casual in a gray T-shirt, green shorts and black sneakers.

TheImageDirect.com

June 20, 2018: Humble Home

A source told ET earlier this month that the two were now "living together" in a lavish apartment in New York City, and "excited for the next chapter."

Meanwhile, an additional source confirmed that the two actually purchased the 4,023 square-foot apartment, which features five bedrooms and four and a half baths, and is located in Chelsea, a hip and upscale neighborhood in Manhattan.

StreetEasy.com

June 21: Head in the Clouds

The 24-year-old comedian still can't seem to wrap his head around the idea that he's engaged! He recently took to Instagram to share a sexy shot of his fiancee in lingerie. "What the actual f**k," he captioned it, with the heart eyes emoji.

Grande liked the pic, commenting on it twice. "@petedavidson omg," she wrote, later adding "I love you" with angel and blushing face emojis.

One night earlier, Davidson joked during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that getting engaged to Grande made him feel like he "won a contest."

"I'm f**king lit, Jimmy. It's so lit," he exclaimed. "It's so funny walking down the street because dudes are walking by and they're like," he says before tipping his hat. "Did you ever see that Derek Jeter commercial where he's retiring and everybody just tips their hats. Some dude came up to me and said, 'Dude, you gave me hope.'"

June 26, 2018: Birthday Babe

In honor of Grande's 25th birthday, her fiance couldn't help himself from gushing over her via social media. The comedian posted not one, but two appreciation posts to the powerhouse singer.

"Happy birthday to the most precious angel on earth!" he marveled. "You're my favorite person that ever existed :) i love you sm ☁️⚡️?."

"One more for the queen," another post read. "Words can't express what a real f**king treasure this one is ?."

June 29, 2018: Touching New Tattoo

While the pair had already gotten multiple tattoos dedicated to each other at this point, eagle-eyed fans noticed that she had some new ink on her left foot while she and her man walked through New York City.

The new ink appeared on the top of her foot and included the numbers "8418," which was the badge number worn by the Saturday Night Live comedian's late father, New York City firefighter Scott Davidson, who died in during the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The 24-year-old comedian also has same numbers inked on his left forearm, which he's had for years.

Getty Images

July 1, 2018: Pete's New 'Do

Davidson debuted his super short, blonde buzzcut in a snapshot, taken by a friend, which he posted to Instagram and joked in the caption, "Big time adolescence.

Grande liked the snap, commenting, "So sick. I'm so excited for u bye. Come to bed." She then shared a screenshot of the image to her Instagram Stories, adding two flirty emojis.

Instagram Stories

July 8, 2018: In Defense of Whirlwind Romances

Grande took to Twitter to defend Justin Bieber’s shocking engagement to Hailey Baldwin -- as well her own engagement -- hours after news broke that the "Sorry" singer had popped the question.

Grande's pointed remarks came in response to a particular fan’s post which referenced Scooter Braun, who is both Ariana and Justin’s manager. "First Ariana gets engaged to Pete Davidson and now Justin Bieber to Hailey Baldwin, the devil works hard but Scooter Braun works harder," the fan wrote in a now-deleted tweet.

"You do realize we are human beings who love and have lives ...... right .... ? And that Scooter [Braun] is a wonderful human being too who cares first [and] foremost [about] our health and happiness?” Grande responded in a tweet that also ended up deleted. “Love is lit. S**t happens. I hope to God it happens to you too. [You] deserve it."

July 14, 2018: Pete's Heartfelt Present

Davidson took to Instagram to reveal that he'd given Grande a golden pendant of his late father's firefighter badge, featuring the "8418" ID number she'd already gotten tattooed on her foot.

However, the sweet post still attracted its share of critics, with one follower commenting, "No girl should ever wear your dad's chain. So disrespectful."

"For ur information that's not just some girl, that's my fiancée," Davidson responded. "She's the greatest person I know. I gave it to her because she has my heart and that is the most precious thing I own. My dad would be so happy and love her so much."

Days later, Grande was photographed shopping in the Big Apple with Davidson while sporting the meaningful pendant badge around her neck.

July 23, 2018: All Quiet on the Instagram Front

Out of the blue, the Saturday Night Live star wiped away every pic he'd ever posted to Instagram, including ones featuring his fiancée. This immediately sparked rumors that there was trouble in paradise for the lovebirds, but Davidson took to his Instagram Story to shut down the speculation.

"No, there's nothing wrong. No nothing happened. No there's nothing cryptic about anything. I just don't wanna be on Instagram anymore, or on any social media platform," he wrote. "The Internet is an evil place and it doesn't make me feel good. Why should I spend any time on negative energy when my real life is f**king lit. The fact that I even have to say this proves my point. I love you all and I'm sure I'll be back at some point. Your neighborhood goon, Pete."

Pete Davidson/Instagram

Later that same day, Grande echoed Davidson's sentiments, writing on Twitter, "I’m prolly gonna post on der for a little while & take a breather from twitter & ig for a little. just sometimes can’t help but bump into some negative shit that really can bum u out and it’s not worth it honestly."

August 16, 2018: Getting Candid With GQ

Davidson sat down for an interview with GQ for the magazine's September issue, where he opened up about his relationship with the singer and how their engagement could have happened even quicker.

"The day I met her, I was like, 'Hey, I’ll marry you tomorrow,'" Davidson recalled. "She was calling my bluff. I sent her a picture [of engagement rings]. I was like, ‘Do you like any of these?’ She was like, ‘Those are my favorite ones,’ and I was like, ‘Sick.'"

Davidson also addressed the newfound fame that came with being Grande's fiance, quipping, 'It's all bulls**t. GQ wouldn't hit me up if I didn't recently get engaged to a super-famous person."

Davidson had the same sort of self-deprecating sense of self-awareness when it came to the couple's $16 million New York apartment.

"She’s really sweet. She’s like, 'This is our house,' and I’m like, 'You’re very nice for saying that. Thank you for letting me stay here,'" Davidson jokes of the couple's new abode. "She’s like, ‘We’re getting married!’ And I’m like, ‘I know, thank you for letting me stay here.'"

As it turns out, Grande felt the same way about getting engaged, only much earlier. She sat down with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show and admitted that Davidson had caught her eye all the way back in 2016 when she hosted SNL.

"We never exchanged numbers or anything. We weren’t even like friends for the longest time," she said. "But I had the biggest crush in the whole world on him the whole time, like forever. Like, my friends used to make fun of me for it, all that stuff."

While Davidson might not have realized how much she liked him at the time, Grande certainly understood the level of her infatuation, and she even predicted their eventual engagement.

"I left his writers’ room when we were writing skits and stuff for the show, and my tour manager was in the hallway, and I’m not a crushy person, like I don’t have crushes on people I don’t know, but I left and I like jokingly said to my tour manager, ‘I’m marrying him. 100 percent. I’m literally marrying him,'" Grande recalled. "And we weren’t even friends [at that time]."

August 20, 2018: Red Carpet Debut

Despite being at the center of a media frenzy throughout most of their relationship, the pair finally made their relationship red carpet official at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City, walking hand-in-hand as photographers snapped their pic.

Getty Images

September 7, 2018: Tragedy Rocks Ariana's World

Mac Miller, Grande's former boyfriend, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose, sending the music world into turmoil and leaving the singer distraught.

Grande was forced to disable comments on her Instagram after facing a deluge of hateful messages accusing her of being responsible, due to her public relationship with Davidson.

A source told ET that Grande was "devastated" by the tragic news of Miller's death. "Although the two ended their relationship, Ariana always shared a deep connection with Mac and wanted nothing but the best for him." The source added, "Ariana is very upset."

The following day, Grande posted a photo of Miller on Instagram, sans caption. 

September 14, 2018: Breaking Her Silence

One week after Miller's death, Grande spoke out about the rapper's death in a post on Instagram, alongside a video she'd previously taken of Miller.

"I adored you from the day i met you when i was nineteen and i always will," she wrote. "I can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. i really can’t wrap my head around it. we talked about this. so many times. i’m so mad, i’m so sad i don’t know what to do. You were my dearest friend. for so long. above anything else. i’m so sorry i couldn’t fix or take your pain away. i really wanted to. The kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. i hope you’re okay now. rest."

September 16, 2018: Meet Piggy Smalls

Davidson revealed the adorable micro-pig he and Grande adopted, Piggy Smalls, and it's one of the cutest celebrity pets we've seen in some time.

Davidson even got Piggy Smalls tattooed on his torso, as seen in an Instagram pic shared by body artist, Mira Mariah, from the Fleur Noire Tattoo Parlour in Brooklyn.

September 17, 2018: Skipping the Emmys

Grande opted not to attend the 2018 Emmys despite being expected at the awards show. According to Grande's rep, the singer decided to take the time off to emotionally recover.

"Contrary to reports, Ariana will not be attending the Emmys tonight," her rep said in a statement to ET. “Pete has also opted to not attend to be with her in New York."

"Given the events of the past couple of years, Ariana is going to take some much needed time to heal and mend," the statement continued. "She will be staying close to home and using this period to spend time with her loved ones and work on new music without deadline. She thanks her fans for their understanding."

September 24, 2018: Hate Mail

On SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show, Davidson revealed that when he started dating Grande, he received extreme hate messages and threats on his life. 

"I got a death threat. Someone wanted to shoot me in the face. Because she's so hot. You know how insane that is? Am I that ugly that people want to shoot me in the face?" Davidson said, before explaining again why he felt the need to ditch social media.

September 27, 2018: Tweeting Her Feelings

The singer got emotional on Twitter, opening up about her personal struggles in a series of vague, cryptic and concerning posts that lead some to believe she was having a breakdown.

"Can I pls have one OK day. just one. pls," she began. "I’m so tired pls."

Fans began reaching out to Grande following the emotional tweets, prompting her to respond, "ty for loving me sm I do not deserve it.”

She also explained, "[You're] angels in my life. It’s been a tough month. I’m trying to get my work done and get back to normal and it’s hard and I’m human and tired. Sorry I let u in or worried u. I shouldn’t have tweeted. I [know] better."

September 29, 2018: SNL Roasts Their Romance

In Saturday Night Live's season 44 premiere, Davidson and Grande's relationship was a recurring topic of comedy and ribbing. Starting with Davidson's brief appearance in the opening monologue to an entire sketch following Kyle Mooney as he begins to imitate Pete's style due to his jealousy over his co-star's highly-publicized relationship. 

Later, Davidson sat down for a Weekend Update segment that was based almost entirely around his hopes that they never break up.

Responding to Colin Jost's question on whether the couple has a prenup, Davidson joked, "Obviously, I wanted one. God forbid, we split up and she takes half my sneakers."

"Look, I'm totally comfortable with a successful woman. I think it's dope, I live at her place," he added. "She pays like sixty grand for rent, and all I have to do is stock the fridge."

One of Davidson's most controversial jokes, however, came when he joked about trying to make sure she gets pregnant to lock her into their relationship.

"Last night I switched her birth control with Tic-Tacs," he said, eliciting an equal number of laughs and uncomfortable scoffs. “I believe in us and all, I just wanna make sure that she can’t go anywhere."

October 9, 2018: The Great Tattoo Cover-Up Mystery

Davidson stepped out at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, and sparked yet another round of rumors that things had gone south with his lady love by having his Grande-inspired neck tattoo covered up.

Davidson previously got a neck tattoo of the Playboy-esque bunny ears mask Ariana Grande wore on her "Dangerous Woman" album cover back when he and Grande first started dating, but that ink was now updated with a black heart covering it, alongside the letter "A." 

Fans began speculating as to why Davidson had the tattoo changed, but many argued it wasn't a bad sign, considering the presence of the "A" was for Ariana.

October 11, 2018: Piggy Smalls Gets His Big Break

The couple's adorable pet pig took center stage in Grande's music video for her song "Breathin'."

The pair's porcine pal is the star of the show in the simple video, as he walks around on some bedding and acts all cute, providing the perfect visual background for Grande’s powerhouse vocals.

October 14, 2018: Calling It Quits

According to multiple reports, the couple called off their engagement over the weekend, with both stars showing doubt that their relationship doesn't have staying power. According to reports, the split was amicable and they aren't closing off the possibility of reconciling in the future.
 

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