Ariana Grande has come a long way regarding her evolving relationship with her father. Here are the details regarding their complicated past and how they've come to rebuild their close bond.

Fans now know almost everything there is to know about Ariana Grande's relationship with fiance Dalton Gomez. But when it comes to another important man in her life, she's previously opened up about mending her relationship with her estranged father, Edward Butera.

Distant Dad

While Ariana's mom gushes with pride over her daughter's success, her father is very distant. As many fans know, he and Ariana's mother, Joan Grande, split when she was just eight years old. This may be a contributing factor to Ariana and her dad's rocky past, as she spoke with Seventeen magazine back in 2014 about a major falling out they had a year prior.

She recalled that time in her life as the most challenging thing she ever had to deal with, saying, "Falling out of touch with my dad. It's private, but it happened last year. It took me so long to be okay with it."

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At the time, Ariana was forced to accept the fact that they weren't on speaking terms, adding, "The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him. So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn't like that about myself."

She also admitted, "I had to accept that it's okay not to get along with somebody and still love them."

Closer to Nonna and Her Mother

Two years later, during an interview with KIIS-FM, Ariana confirmed that she had still not seen much of her father while playing a game of This or That?

When asked, "Mommy or daddy?" the singer was quick to respond by saying, "Mommy, but I love my dad," adding, "My parents are divorced. I never get to see my dad because he loves in Florida." This was especially interesting considering Ariana and her grandmother, Marjorie Grande, aka Nonna to most fans, also lives in Boca Raton but has been referenced and visited by the pop star on much more frequent occasions, including the August 2019 issue of Vogue magazine.

Difficult Relationship With Her Father

Over the years, Ariana would continue to mention her father on rare occasions, like in her 2017 Father's Day post that read "Happy Father's Day, I love you," which caused fans to assume their estranged relationship had begun to heal. In 2018, however, fans were once again thrown for a loop when Ariana continued to throw some subtle jabs toward her father. Fans had recalled Mother's Day tribute to her mom when the singer alluded to Joan acting as both a mother and a father.

She said, "Mommy! I love you so so so much. Thank you for being a mom and a dad, a best friend, an inspiration, a comedian, a healer, a genius, and a brilliant example of a woman. I hope I can be even half the superwoman you are someday. Happy happy mother's day, mommy! you deserve the whole universe and more."

Every Arianator is well aware of the shade toward Edward in her 2018 smash hit Thank U, Next when singing that she'd be walking down the aisle with her mom: "I'll be thanking my dad 'cause she grew from the drama."

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The following year must've been a turning point in their relationship as Ariana shared a rare photo of the two once again on Father's Day. Fans were pleased to find that, according to her Instagram story, the singer was celebrating Thanksgiving with both her parents for the first time in 18 years.

Rebuilding Their Close Bond

One of the most significant steps in rebuilding their relationship came during the 2020 Grammy Awards when Ariana walked the carpet with both of them. Later that night, while performing a medley of her biggest hits, including Thank U, Next, Imagine, and 7 Rings, she even went as far as to change the lyrics referencing her father. Ariana sang, "I'll be thanking my dad 'cause he's really awesome." Fans could feel the emotion in her voice as it seems Ariana and her dad have managed to put all their issues aside.

What Exactly Led to Their Fallout?

The truth is likely that Ariana doesn't plan on disclosing that information as it's a private family matter. However, according to one Reddit thread, many users have compiled some evidence to prove their theories. Reddit user LaneLovesLipstick recalled back in 2013, around the time Ariana first mentioned the fallout that Edward had a public Twitter account with his username titled something along the lines of "Ariana's Dad."

They went on to suggest that Edward essentially exploited his daughter for fame, adding, "He did a Livestream where he called Ariana on the phone. He asks her about (her ex) Jai Brooks, about how she warms up her voice, about performing with Justin Bieber, etc."

The user also shared one shocking fact that about three minutes into the conversation, Ariana realized their phone call was being recorded on his live stream, as she appears to act surprised while still playing it cool despite not being physically seen on camera.

But the biggest takeaway here is that Ariana appears to have made a conscious decision to mend broken ties with her father over the years, and she couldn't seem more at ease with her decision.

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