Ariana Grande played a pivotal role in bringing her divorced parents, Joan Grande and Edward Butera, back together after 18 years.
On her 24th birthday in 2017, she encouraged them to reconcile and they have since become close friends. The trio even celebrated their first Thanksgiving together in nearly two decades in 2019.
“It took 18 years and it took me forcing it. I forced them to communicate again, I really did,” the 31-year-old shared on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. “It was my 24th birthday and I remember just being at this pivotal point where I was like, ‘You guys, I love you both so much, it’s been such a long time, figure it the f**k out.’ I’m like, ‘Hello?! It’s been 18 years! I’m long gone (from the family home), I’m 80, please get over it.’ And they did; they’re best friends now.”
Ariana Grande, who was around eight or nine years old when they separated, admitted their newfound friendship was “the best thing in the whole world” after many “tough” years of tension between them.
“I guess they just had some beautiful conversation and realised how much they love me is so much louder than whatever nonsense happened way back when,” she continued.
“They’re truly so close. It’s the sweetest thing. It makes me really happy. It did something to my brain too; it was really a beautiful, healthy thing.”
The Oscar nominee revealed in a 2014 interview with Seventeen that she had fallen out of touch with Edward, and in her 2018 song Thank U, Next, she sang, “One day I’ll walk down the aisle / Holding hands with my mama / I’ll be thanking my dad / ‘Cause she grew from the drama.”
Joan and Edward attended the 2020 Grammys with Ariana Grande, where she publicly showed her appreciation for her father with modified lyrics from her song Thank U, Next.
In November 2024, both parents proudly joined Ariana at the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked, where she is credited by her full name Ariana Grande-Butera.
