Racing to Forever: Inside Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson's Jaw-Droppingly Fast Romance

First came love, weeks later, an engagement. Find out why the pair are racing to the altar.

By Sarah Grossbart Jun 11, 2018 11:07 PMTags
Ariana Grande, Pete DavidsonGetty Images

First came love, then a tattoo not two weeks later, followed by talk of that inevitable baby carriage. So is it really all that surprising that brand new couple Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson are already toasting to an engagement

Grande and Davidson—who made their pairing Instagram official with a Harry Potter-themed snap May 30 mere weeks after they announced the end of their respective romances with rapper Mac Miller and Half-Empty creator Cazzie David—were whispering the news to pals at Robert Pattinson's June 9 L.A. house party, an insider reveals to E! News: "They were telling people that they were engaged."  

And while the "No Tears Left To Cry" singer showed off a sparkly bauble on her left hand at the iHeartRadio and 102.7 KIISFM's Wango Tango concert June 2, the couple are keeping details of the proposal—and any future wedding plans—under wraps for now, only sharing that the betrothal was recent and that the nuptials will be a ways away. As a source told Us Weekly, "They are not rushing to get married."

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Ariana Grande's Best Looks

Having sped through other relationship milestones, such a pause may be prudent. Putting a ring on it, so to speak, just weeks into a romance is fast —even by Hollywood standards. (After all, your average Bachelor contestant is given a comparatively protracted eight or so weeks to choose their future bride.) But the youngest-ever Saturday Night Live cast member and the four-time Grammy nominee, both 24, subscribe to the when you know, you know theory of marriage. 

"They're just two people who found love quickly and make each other happy all the time," a source explained to People. "They both started talking about it this past weekend. It's nothing they've been hiding." 

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In fact the entirety of their weeks-long romance has played out on social media—a unique choice for a comic who once proclaimed the celebrity that came with his SNL gig, "creeps me out! I hate all of the attention."

But there he was, just nine days after his romance with Grande was revealed, a source telling E! News at the time that the pair were keeping it "casual," gamely posing in matching Harry Potter robes and a hat that proclaimed, "I love you". As an extra flourish, he captioned the picture with the words "the chamber of secrets has been opened" to truly drive home the point that, yes, they are dating and, oh by the way, it's kind of serious. 

Davidson's humor tends toward morose, often cracking jokes about losing his firefighter father Scott Davidson when his station house responded to the scene at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. "When my dad died, I had to go to therapy," he explained to Interview magazine in early 2015. "My therapist was Afghan. He would be like, 'How do you think your dad died?' I always wanted to be like, 'Why don't you tell me, man? I know you know.' Five people will laugh [when I tell this joke], and the rest will be like, 'Hmmmm, no.' But it's f--kin' funny! Things that I feel really sad about, I talk about. That way, if it's funny, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Straddling the edge of awkward and inappropriate is just his natural style, he explained to The New York Times: "I like making things that are dark, awkward, weird things that you don't really find funny, funny."

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Ariana Grande & Pete Davidson: Romance Rewind

But since joining up with Grande this spring—the pair's friendship dates back to at least 2016, when Grande hosted SNL—his style has become decidedly sweeter. 

Take his frequent Instagram comments, which range from proclaiming himself "the luckiest contest winner ever" to dubbing the singer's Wango Tango performance "so f--king lit". (She in turn posted, "i thought u into my life woah!") Or his June 6 set at the Hollywood Improv comedy club. When the Wild 'N Out alum, who's dealt with everything from Chron's disease to substance abuse to a 2017 borderline personality disorder diagnosis, got on stage, he admitted he had nothing prepared because his life was just going too darn well, an audience member revealed to E! News. "He's said he's really happy and life's good so there's nothing to complain about," they explained, noting he finally landed on material when someone yelled out Grande's name. 

"The first thing he responded with when they asked about Ariana was, 'It's pretty dope, huh?'" another attendee revealed. "And that's when he started saying how he felt so lucky like he won the lottery and couldn't believe he was so lucky. He said he's gonna 'ride this one out!'" 

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Grande's enjoying the journey as well. Following a tumultuous romance with musician and record producer Miller—the duo officially split after attending April's Coachella music festival, but a source told E! News "the relationship had been long over before,"—she was happy to have pals facilitate a set up between her and the Staten Island, N.Y. native. "They have been in many social gatherings together in NYC and met through connections related to SNL," an insider revealed to E! News

Dates with Davidson were a welcome relief after a two-year romance with Miller that she dubbed "toxic." So when fans chided her for moving on swiftly, she was quick to defend her choices, pointing out that she was neither a babysitter nor a mother and couldn't be held responsible for Miller's choices. (Just days after their split was revealed, the 26-year-old was arrested for a DUI and fleeing the scene of an accident.)

"Ariana has been through a lot with Mac Miller recently and is excited to have a fresh new start with someone who is more stable," explained the insider. 

In fact, the romance was so solid that within days all vows to take things slow were long forgotten. On June 2, L.A.-based tattoo artist London Reese revealed he'd inked Davidson with two Grande-related images: her initials on his right thumb and, on his neck, an image of the black bunny mask she had donned for the cover of her 2016 disc Dangerous Woman

Three days later, Davidson made a crack about having kids with actor Brian Tyree Henry, causing Grande to reply to the photo of them, "I look so good here." 

Whether her quip was a not-so-subtle hint about her desire to start a family with her new love or just a sign that Grande's wit is just as sharp as Davidson's remains to be seen. 

Their shared sense of humor, says a source, is just one of the traits that unites them. Though on paper the Nickelodeon actress turned pop star and the rehab vet appear to be a surprising pair, the source insists they're extremely well-suited. "Everyone thinks they're really cute together," the source tells E! News. "People don't realize what a great sense of humor she has. It makes them a good match." 

That ability to find the funny could set them up to be stellar spouses, though wedding plans are presumably on hold until after Grande releases her fourth studio album, Sweetener, this August.

Perhaps that leaves her just enough time to squeeze in a few fresh ballads.