From ‘Eternal Sunshine’ to Old Flame: How Ariana Grande’s Sold-Out Tour Reunited Her With Ricky Alvarez

Ariana Grande spent part of her birthday week in Austin, Texas, sharing tacos and margaritas with ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez on Friday 26 June, as the Eternal Sunshine star paused her sold‑out tour for a low‑key night out that immediately reignited speculation about her love life.

For context, the sighting came right in the middle of Ariana Grande’s three‑night stop in the Texas capital on her Eternal Sunshine Tour, and just days after reports that she and Wicked co‑star Ethan Slater had quietly ended their relationship after nearly three years together. It was exactly the kind of timing that guarantees the internet will lose its mind, and it duly did.

The photograph, first shared by Pop Insider and then reposted by local guide account 365 Things Austin, shows Grande, freshly 33, smiling at a table at De Nada Cantina, a popular East Austin spot. She is seated across from Alvarez and another man, described only as a friend. Phone in hand, shoulders relaxed, Grande looks like any touring musician grabbing a casual dinner. Only, of course, she is Ariana Grande, and the man opposite her is the ‘Ricky’ immortalised in Thank U, Next.

Ariana Grande, ‘Thank U, Next’ And A Lyric Tweak Fans Did Not Miss

The news came after eagle‑eyed fans noticed that Ariana Grande had apparently tweaked the Ricky Alvarez lyric in Thank U, Next during her 24 June show in Austin. The original line, etched into pop culture at this point, runs: ‘Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh.’ According to Pop Insider’s report on the concert, Grande instead sang: ‘Wrote some songs about Ricky, now they still kinda slap.’

It is a small change, only a few words, but in Ariana‑land, that stuff hits hard. Clips from the show quickly circulated on X and TikTok as fans spliced together earlier performances with the Austin version, treating the altered line like some kind of romantic breadcrumb. Was it a wink towards Alvarez, who had been in her life long before the tour and long before Slater, or just a playful nod to her own back catalogue? Grande, who has made a career out of writing her feelings in real time, left the moment hanging.

So did she really just call her own breakup songs ‘still kinda slap’ while the ex in question happened to be in the same city, then go out for food with him two nights later? That is exactly what fans are now poring over.

Ariana Grande’s Old Flame, New Tour Stop

To recall, Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez started dating in April 2015 after meeting when he worked as a dancer on her Honeymoon Tour. Their relationship became public in a less than flattering way, when CCTV footage from a California doughnut shop in Lake Elsinore showed the pair licking doughnuts on display and laughing as they walked away. The bizarre clip went viral, Grande was criticised, and she later issued a public apology for her behaviour.

The romance itself lasted a little over a year, ending in July 2016. By then, Alvarez had drifted into that familiar pop‑star ex‑boyfriend role, part of the narrative, name‑checked in songs, but no longer in the frame. Until this week.

While social media commentary swung from ‘they’re so back together’ to ‘this is just friendly co‑parenting of old memories’, reporting from TMZ painted a far more subdued picture. Citing a source described as familiar with the situation, the outlet said the pair were simply friends. ‘Ari has friends in Austin for her birthday, she turned 33 today, and Ricky is one of the friends,’ the source told TMZ.

In other words, a 33‑year‑old woman had dinner with an ex she has known for nearly a decade, in a city where she is working for several nights. Hardly outrageous. But when that woman is Ariana Grande, very little stays ordinary.

After Ethan Slater Split, Focus Back On Ariana Grande’s Work

For starters, Ariana Grande’s dinner with Alvarez drops into a period of quiet but very real transition in her personal life. Earlier this month, People reported that Grande and Ethan Slater, her co‑star in the upcoming Wicked film adaptation, had ‘quietly broken up’ several months ago after nearly three years together.

‘It’s amicable, they gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways,’ a source told People. ‘They are still friends and very supportive of one another.’ IBTimes UK cannot independently verify these claims, so take everything lightly.

The pair met on the Wicked set and became a tabloid fixation after Slater’s high‑profile divorce from Lilly Jay and Grande’s own split from estate agent Dalton Gomez. They were photographed together at restaurants and events, but never formally announced their relationship, a choice that always felt deliberate. The quieter the couple tried to be, the louder the commentary got.

Since reports of the split surfaced, various outlets have suggested that Slater still has feelings for Grande, though again, nothing is confirmed yet so everything should be taken with a grain of salt. What is verifiable is that Grande has plunged straight into a gruelling touring schedule as her first major live run in years gathers speed.

The Eternal Sunshine Tour, launched earlier this month, is scheduled to run until 1 September, with three nights in Austin forming part of its early North American leg. Shows have been selling out, and setlist breakdowns shared fan‑to‑fan online show a career‑spanning mix of older hits and new material from Eternal Sunshine. That slightly altered Thank U, Next lyric has, predictably, become one of the talking points of this leg.

Birthday In Austin, Eyes Everywhere

In case you missed it, Ariana Grande’s Austin dates coincided with her 33rd birthday on 26 June, giving the stop a celebratory feel even before the Ricky Alvarez cameo. Fan videos from inside the venue show birthday signs, improvised ‘happy birthday’ chants and Grande herself laughing as the crowd sings back at her between songs.

Outside the arena, the mood has been equally frantic. Local influencers chronicled Grande‑spotting attempts around Austin’s city centre, while the reposted dinner photo from De Nada Cantina racked up comments within minutes. Several locals joked that they had chosen the wrong taqueria that night. Others were more forensic, zooming in on the table spread and trying to work out whether this looked like a date or a group catch‑up.

There is, of course, no official word from Ariana Grande or Ricky Alvarez on what, if anything, their reunion means beyond a shared meal. Her representatives have not commented on the sighting. No one has confirmed whether Alvarez attended any of the Austin shows, or whether the lyric change was directly linked to his presence.

For now, what can be said with confidence is simple. Ariana Grande is on the road with a hit album, navigating a freshly single chapter of her life, and sitting across a table from someone who knew her long before Eternal Sunshine became a tour title. Fans will connect the dots in a thousand different ways. She is keeping her own counsel, and her own punchlines, on stage.