Ariana Grande Appears to Distance Herself From Starbucks After Brand's Black Lives Matter Controversy

Ariana Grande has promoted local establishments on her Instagram account while a fan account has claimed she unfollowed Starbucks.

Has Ariana Grande said no thank u, next to Starbucks?

The songstress has been a vocal advocate in the Black Lives Matter movement, but fans are paying equal attention to her actions, including her social media activity. This week, a fan account claimed she unfollowed Starbucks on Instagram. The coffeehouse chain faced criticism this month after Buzzfeed reported "Black Lives Matter attire was prohibited from the lists of things [Starbucks] employees can wear due to its dress code policy."

Two days later, Starbucks executives reversed that reported stance in a public letter on Friday, stating, "As we talked about earlier this week, we're designing new t-shirts with the graphic below to demonstrate our allyship and show we stand together in unity. Until these arrive, we've heard you want to show your support, so just be you. Wear your BLM pin or t-shirt. We are so proud of your passionate support of our common humanity. We trust you to do what's right while never forgetting Starbucks is a welcoming third place where all are treated with dignity and respect."

Meanwhile, Grande, who had been an avid fan of Starbucks as evidenced by her past tweets, shared photos of non-Starbucks beverages she purchased this week on her Instagram Story. One snap featured a drink from Nimbus Coffee while another was from Undergrind Cafe, both in Los Angeles. The star tagged each company in the pictures. 

While E! News has not confirmed whether Grande ever followed Starbucks on Instagram, she currently does not, though the company does follow her. Reps for Grande could not be reached for comment.

In March 2019, Grande called herself a "#starbucksambassador" on Twitter while promoting the company's new Cloud Macchiato, which was released just weeks after the debut of her fifth studio album, Thank U, Next. Grande has also become synonymous with cloud imagery and even released a perfume named Cloud in 2018. 

As for where she stands on the brand today, Grande has not made any public comment, but does continue to post and share Black Lives Matter-related content to her social media accounts.