Ariana Grande Posts Photos with Ex Ricky Alvarez, Fuelling Reconciliation Rumours

Ariana Grande posted a pair of selfies with former boyfriend Ricky Alvarez to an Instagram carousel on Wednesday, August 12, prompting fresh speculation that the two have rekindled their romance. One photo shows Alvarez with his arm around Grande, both in matching white T-shirts and denim, their heads cropped out of frame. Another is a blurry, upside-down mirror selfie in which Grande tagged the dancer's account. Billboard

The Instagram post is the latest in a series of public hints. On July 27, Grande shared an earlier photo dump that appeared to show the two together, including an image of someone believed to be Alvarez clinking olives with her in a toast. E! Online Fans also photographed the pair together at JFK Airport in New York City after Grande wrapped the North American leg of her Eternal Sunshine Tour. Billboard

Grande and Alvarez dated for roughly a year, from 2015 to 2016, after meeting on her Honeymoon Tour, where he worked as a backup dancer. Their relationship was referenced in Grande's 2018 hit "Thank U, Next," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 — the weekly US singles chart ranked by sales, radio airplay and streaming activity. The original lyric, as documented on the song's Genius lyric page, goes: "Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh." Genius

During the July 13 Brooklyn stop of the Eternal Sunshine Tour, Grande tweaked that line mid-performance. Instead of the dismissive punchline, she sang: "Wrote some songs about Ricky / We always find our way back." Billboard

The lyric change landed just two weeks after the release of her album petal, which dropped on July 31 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 295,000 total album-equivalent units — the metric that converts streaming plays and digital track sales into album-sale equivalents. Billboard

Alvarez, whose Instagram handle @rickyrozay lists him as a Mexican photographer with over 330,000 followers, has not publicly commented on the relationship speculation. Instagram

For fans, the breadcrumbs add up — an airport sighting, a lyric swap, two photo dumps and a carousel of cuddled-up selfies, all within a two-week window. None of it is a confirmation from Grande herself, who has not directly addressed the rumours.

Grande is scheduled to headline five shows at London's O2 Arena beginning August 15, the next leg of the Eternal Sunshine Tour. Billboard