It's not surprising that Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande's initial relationship made headlines: the couple is as surprising as it is weirdly perfect. However, due to its quick and, may I add, extremely public nature, I had no problem publicly expressing skepticism and privately betting that the spark would burn out by Saturday Night Live's season premiere. However, not only did it not burn out (the couple is now engaged with a pet pig), but it was all anyone on Saturday Night Live's season premiere could talk about.
Davidson, 24, and Grande, 25, were pretty big elephants in the room, but it's not like this is the first time a Saturday Night Live cast member has dated a celebrity. Colin Jost is dating Scarlett Johansson right now and we've barely heard a peep. Jason Sudeikis began dating Olivia Wilde when he was still a cast member, and he was never dragged out on Weekend Update to talk about it. In fact, two SNL cast members were dating each other during the 2013-14 season, and it was never the subject of any of the jokes. But there's something about Davidson and Grande that even Lorne Michaels can't resist.
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Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra have made some small ripples and the fervor around Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin has already simmered down to its usual buzz. However, whenever Grande and Davidson so much as comment on the other's Instagram, the internet blows up like the day their relationship was first revealed. Our own website gets a boost not just on the story documenting said interaction, but many of our previous articles about them as well. Pariana fans have an insatiable appetite, and I'm here to say, after months of grappling: I get it.
Their story is cute. Their story says there is a right person out there for you and that you know it right when you meet them.
"We met on SNL — like two, three years ago, or whenever that was. We never exchanged numbers or anything...but I had the biggest crush in the world on him the whole time," Grande told Jimmy Fallon. In fact, she apparently told her tour manager, "I'm marrying him, 100%. I'm literally marrying him."
Despite the storybook meet-cute, the rest of their relationship is relatively candid. So much of their courting was captured via Instagram videos and pictures, and Davidson especially hasn't shied away from 100% honesty when it comes to their relationship.
"She's really sweet. She's like, 'This is our house,' and I'm like, 'You're very nice for saying that. Thank you for letting me stay here,'" he told GQ in an interview. "She's like, 'We're getting married!' And I'm like, 'I know, thank you for letting me stay here.' "
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Despite that $16 million house, everything else about them is relatable. They're still figuring out how to live in their own place, they're going shopping at Restoration Hardware. They're sharing way more than they need to without ever oversharing. We've seen them through so many ups and downs that we know none of this is performative.
That's another thing. Despite the still relatively short amount of time they've been together, they've accomplished more than you would think. Grande dropped her new album, Sweetener, with a track dedicated to her fiancé. They've walked red carpets. They've given promotional interviews. There have been controversies here and there, like when it came out that Davidson made a joke about the Manchester bombing at Grande's concert, but their biggest hurdle came last month after the death of Grande's ex Mac Miller. Davidson skipped the Emmys to stay with her, and we've watched her publicly mourn on social media.
As of now, their relationship has never had a lull, and there's no reason to think it will. With Grande firmly in the music world and Davidson's TV and movie career, they cover pretty much the entire span of Hollywood events, red carpets, and other opportunities. There's so much more to come — and we're not even at the wedding yet.