Image via MTV UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Ariana Grande performing "God Is a Woman" at the MTV Video Music Awards, August 2018.
On Wednesday night, Ariana Grande walked her first red carpet with Ricky Alvarez, at the New York premiere of Focker-in-Law. It was a small moment in a very big career. She has been famous for most of her life, first as a Broadway kid, then as a Nickelodeon star, then as one of the biggest pop singers on the planet, and now as a film actress with an Oscar nomination behind her. She is 33, and she is still changing lanes.
The Broadway kid from Boca Raton
Ariana Grande-Butera was born on Saturday 26 June 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida. Her mother Joan runs a communications company, and her father Edward is a graphic designer. Her parents split up when she was ten. She has an older half-brother, Frankie Grande, who is a performer and producer.
She started on stage young. At 15 she made her Broadway debut in the musical 13 in 2008. Two years later she landed the part that made her a teen star: Cat Valentine, the red-haired, sweet-natured friend on Nickelodeon's Victorious, which ran from 2010 to 2013. She played Cat again in the spin-off Sam & Cat in 2013 and 2014.
Image via NickRewind / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon's Victorious.
While she was still on Nickelodeon, she was already recording. Her first album, Yours Truly, came out in 2013 and went straight to number one on the Billboard 200. The voice was the thing people talked about: a four-octave range, and a habit of landing notes other singers would not try.
The pop years
The albums came fast after that. My Everything in 2014 gave her "Problem" and "Bang Bang". Dangerous Woman followed in 2016, then Sweetener in 2018 and Thank U, Next in 2019, the album that turned a hard year into her biggest record. Positions arrived in 2020, and Eternal Sunshine in 2024. Her eighth album, petal, came out on Friday 31 July 2026 and debuted at number one, her seventh chart-topping album.
Image via Emma / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Ariana Grande on the Dangerous Woman Tour, February 2017.
Her number ones stack up: "Thank U, Next", "7 Rings", "Stuck with U", "Rain on Me" with Lady Gaga, "Positions", the "Save Your Tears" remix with The Weeknd, the "Die for You" remix, "Yes, And?", "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" and "Hate That I Made You Love Me", the lead single from petal. She has won three Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Album for Sweetener in 2019, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Rain on Me" in 2021, and the same award in February 2026 for "Defying Gravity" with Cynthia Erivo. She has been nominated 20 times.
| Album | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yours Truly | 2013 | Debut, number one on the Billboard 200 |
| My Everything | 2014 | "Problem", "Bang Bang", "Break Free" |
| Dangerous Woman | 2016 | Title track, "Into You", "Side to Side" |
| Sweetener | 2018 | Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album |
| Thank U, Next | 2019 | Title track and "7 Rings", both number one |
| Positions | 2020 | Title track, "34+35" |
| Eternal Sunshine | 2024 | "Yes, And?", "We Can't Be Friends" |
| petal | 2026 | Number one, her seventh chart-topper |
The hard years
On Monday 22 May 2017, a bomb went off at Manchester Arena just after her concert there, killing 22 people. Grande was shaken badly. She has spoken since about living with anxiety and post-traumatic stress after that night. Less than two weeks later, on Sunday 4 June 2017, she came back to Manchester for the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which raised money for the victims and their families. It was one of the defining nights of her career.
She has also built a business outside music. She launched her beauty brand, r.e.m. beauty, in 2021, and it is now a big part of her work.
Glinda changed everything
Grande had acted on screen before, in Don't Look Up in 2021, but Wicked was different. She played Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba, and the film took $759 million around the world. It earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, her first, at the 97th Oscars in March 2025. Zoe Saldana won for Emilia Perez.
Image via Barbie Simons / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Ariana Grande during promotion for Wicked in 2024.
The sequel, Wicked: For Good, opened on 21 November 2025 and took $540 million worldwide. It brought her a second Golden Globe nomination, again for Best Supporting Actress, at the ceremony in January 2026. Teyana Taylor won. The sequel did not bring a second Oscar nomination: when the nominations were announced in January 2026, she and Erivo were both passed over. The third Grammy, for "Defying Gravity", came a month later, in February 2026.
2026: a new album, a big tour, then a step back
This year has been a lot, even by her standards. petal came out in the middle of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which began on Saturday 6 June 2026 in Oakland and ran for 41 shows before ending on Tuesday 1 September 2026 at London's O2 Arena, after ten nights there. A week later, on 8 September, she surprise-released a live album of the petal songs, petal (the complete live album), as an iTunes exclusive.
In August, while the tour was still running, her team said she would step back from public-facing work once it ended, after months of intense public scrutiny over her appearance and her private life. She pulled out of the planned West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George, and the production was later cancelled after her co-star Jonathan Bailey pulled out too. She had also been reported as joining the thirteenth season of American Horror Story, but she left that in July 2026 over scheduling clashes.
Her first TV appearance since the break came this week, on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, to promote Focker-in-Law. The film opens in US cinemas on Wednesday 25 November 2026, with Grande playing Olivia Jones, the fiancee of Henry Focker.
The facts
| Quick Facts | Ariana Grande |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ariana Grande-Butera |
| Born | Saturday 26 June 1993, Boca Raton, Florida |
| Age | 33 |
| Height | 5 ft 0½ in (154 cm), as measured; listings vary |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac | Cancer |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Parents | Joan Grande, Edward Butera |
| Siblings | Frankie Grande (half-brother) |
| Partner | Ricky Alvarez (since 2026) |
| Children | None |
| Net worth | No confirmed figure (see FAQ) |
| Breakthrough | Cat Valentine on Victorious (2010-2013) |
Love life
Grande's relationships have been public for years, and she has never hidden that. She dated rapper Big Sean for eight months in 2014 and 2015, then Alvarez in 2015 and 2016. She was with Mac Miller from 2016 to 2018; he died in September 2018, and she has spoken about that loss with care since. She got engaged to Pete Davidson in June 2018, and they split four months later.
She married real estate agent Dalton Gomez on Saturday 15 May 2021. The divorce was finalised in March 2024. She then dated her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. People confirmed in June 2026 that they had split, calling it amicable and saying they had quietly been apart for months. Alvarez came back into her life this year, and on 11 November they walked their first red carpet together at the Focker-in-Law premiere.
Awards
| Award | Result | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Grammy, Best Pop Vocal Album | Won (2019) | Sweetener |
| Grammy, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance | Won (2021) | "Rain on Me" with Lady Gaga |
| Grammy, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance | Won (2026) | "Defying Gravity" with Cynthia Erivo |
| Academy Award, Best Supporting Actress | Nominated (2025) | Wicked |
| Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actress | Nominated (2025, 2026) | Wicked; Wicked: For Good |
| BAFTA, Best Supporting Actress | Nominated (2025) | Wicked |
| Brit Award, International Female Solo Artist | Won (2019) | - |
| Critics' Choice, Best Supporting Actress | Nominated (2025, 2026) | Wicked; Wicked: For Good |
FAQs
How old is Ariana Grande? She was born on 26 June 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida. She is 33 years old.
How tall is Ariana Grande? She is 5 ft 0½ in (154 cm) barefoot, as measured by the photo-comparison site CelebHeights. Most profiles round that to 5 ft 0 in, and some list her as tall as 5 ft 3 in, so the listings vary.
What is Ariana Grande's net worth? There is no confirmed figure. Profile sites put it between $230 million and $275 million, but she has never confirmed a number, so we are not printing one as fact.
Is Ariana Grande married? No. She was married to Dalton Gomez from 2021 to 2024. Her boyfriend now is Ricky Alvarez, her former backup dancer, who she first dated in 2015 and got back together with in 2026.
What is Ariana Grande in next? Focker-in-Law, out in US cinemas on 25 November 2026. She plays Olivia Jones, the fiancee of Henry Focker.
Read More: Cynthia Erivo Biography, Age, Height, Net Worth, Partner & Movies
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