Ariana Grande was spotted hanging out with ex Ricky Alvarez just weeks after reports of her breakup with Ethan Slater broke.
Photos circulating via social media showed the “Thank U Next” songstress smiling and chatting with her ex-boyfriend at a restaurant in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.
However, a source told TMZ that Grande, who is currently in the city for her “Eternal Sunshine” tour, was just hanging out with friends to celebrate her 33rd birthday and that “there is nothing romantic going on between Ariana and Ricky at this time.”
Spies also told the outlet that the “Wicked” star was also spotted taking pictures with fans.
Grande’s representatives did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Friday.
This isn’t the first time the “No Tears Left to Cry” songstress has been spotted with Alvarez, also 33, over the years.
They were also spotted together in New York in 2019, but when rumors surfaced that they were dating again, she quickly shot down the speculation, writing in a since-deleted tweet: “Spoilers for the rest of this year/probably my life: (I’m) not dating anyone.”
Grande and Alvarez briefly became romantically involved after the backup dancers joined the Grammy winner’s honeymoon tour in 2015.
They’ve remained friends ever since, with Grande referencing him on 2019’s “Thank U Next,” singing, “I wrote some songs about Ricky/Now I listen to them and laugh.”
Grande’s relationship with her former backup dancer comes shortly after she split from her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, 34, earlier this year.
A source said on June 8, “Ariana and Ethan broke up a few months ago, but have remained friends ever since and have nothing but respect and admiration for each other.”
“This was not a decision they made lightly, but they realized they were better off as friends than in a committed relationship,” they added.
The source also said that Grande is “truly happy and focused on her next chapter: the Eternal Sunshine tour and the release of her album Petal.”
Slater and Grande met on the set of the movie Wicked in 2022. At the time, Slater was still married to ex-wife Lily Jay, with whom he shares a 3-year-old son, Ezra, while Grande was still married to ex-husband Dalton Gomez.
Television insiders hinted to Page Six in December that the former couple may not have been on solid ground when Slater appeared on Grande’s “Saturday Night Live” host that same month.
“People were definitely surprised that Ethan showed up,” a spy told Us at the time.
“No one thought they would be together… They just kept on off, on off, on off.”
