Ariana Grande Says She ‘Forced’ Her Divorced Parents to Reconcile
Ariana Grande is opening up about how she helped her parents, Joan Grande and Edward Butera, rebuild their friendship after their divorce.
In an episode of WTF with Marc Maron that aired on Monday, Feb. 10, PEOPLE reported that Ariana revealed she had to “force” her mom and dad to reconnect after years of separation.
“They’re not together, but they’re best friends,” she shared. “It took 18 years and it took me forcing it. I forced them to communicate again. I really did.”
Ariana’s parents split when she was a child, and by the time she turned 24 in 2017, she decided enough was enough.
“I remember just kind of being at this pivotal point where I was just like, ‘You guys, I love you both so much. It’s been such a long time. Figure it the f— out,’” she recalled. “Like hello, it’s been 18 years. I’m 80 [years old]. Please get over it. And they did.”
Her words hit home. Now, Joan and Ed, are closer than ever.
“I can’t separate them. It’s the best thing in the whole world,” Ariana said. “I guess they just had like, some sort of beautiful conversation or realized that like, how much they love me is so much louder than whatever nonsense happened way back when. It really is beautiful, and if only they had the tools that I feel like we have now, this generation, with therapy and embracing that, maybe it could have happened sooner, but it was just the perfect thing…. It makes me really happy.”
Ariana has always had the strong support of her family throughout her career, from Broadway and Nickelodeon to becoming a Grammy-winning pop star.
Born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida, Ariana grew up surrounded by her parents’ businesses—her dad’s graphic design firm and her mom’s communications company. Though her relationship with her father had its ups and downs, they reconnected in recent years. In fact, Ed even joined Ariana and Joan on the red carpet at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
Ariana is also especially close with her brother, Frankie, whom Joan had with her first husband, Victor Marchione. Their family bond was on full display in November 2024, when they all came together to support Ariana at the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked, where she stars as Glinda.
After the screening, Ed proudly shared his review on Instagram: “What a masterpiece.”
