Update: Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson have reportedly ended their engagement. In case you're just getting involved in this summer romance gone too soon, or are simply looking for some answers, we've tracked their entire relationship from the very beginning to its rumored end. How? Through their tattoo history of course. Their relationship might be over, but their love will live on forever through a lot of ink (at least, until one of them gets laser removal). Read on for the full, and very permanent, timeline.
This story was originally published on June 14, 2018.
You'd have to be living under a rock to miss out on the news that Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson and Grammy nominee Ariana Grande were recently reported to be engaged after dating for approximately one month. Despite cryptic posts from Grande's Twitter, affirmative sources, and a chatty jeweler, we're still not entirely convinced we have all the answers to this pop culture mystery. ICYMI: Their relationship timeline doesn't add up.
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Unfortunately, this isn't a game of Clue and the answer isn't just Davidson at Robert Pattinson’s exclusive birthday party with a $100,000 ring. To unlock the chamber of secrets, you have to uncover all the clues the newly-minted couple have left for us. And the best place to start is on their bodies. When you look closely at each person's tattoos, there's more to the story than just a cartoon portrait of Davidson's ex and Grande's affinity for dainty designs.
The real timeline is written in permanent ink, so buckle up and follow along to find out how — and when — Grande and Davidson really began.
November 12, 2016: While dating Cazzie David, Davidson gets a tattoo on his left ring finger of what appears to be the word "May." Is it possible this is a tribute to David? (Her birthday is May 10.) For the first time, Davidson's new tattoo is visible in "Football Party" on SNL.
May 5, 2018: The presumed "May" tattoo still appears to be intact when Davidson is invited as a guest on SNL's Weekend Update.
May 7: Grande attends the Met Gala in New York without then-boyfriend Mac Miller — and without any new finger tattoos.
went to da met and was super Italian ♡
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 8, 2018
thank you @VeraWangGang pic.twitter.com/Zy1P4icpoP
May 10: PEOPLE confirms that Grande and Miller have broken up.
May 12: Davidson adds three more tattoos to the same hand (his left) where "May" presumably once sat. The new ink appears to be an image of Pikachu on his index finger, a cloud on his middle finger, and a heart on his pinky. You can see all three clearly in the SNL "Talent Show" skit below.
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Later that night, Davidson and Grande are seen at the same SNL after-party.
May 14: Fans begin to notice Grande's penchant for clouds — and emojis of clouds — on both Instagram and Twitter. She posts a photo with a caption proving their point.
May 16: Davidson confirms that he and David are no longer together on Complex’s Open Late Show with Peter Rosenberg.
May 17: Davidson shows off his new knuckle tattoos on Instagram. This time, "May" is nowhere to be found, seemingly covered by three black lines on the same ring finger. One could even argue that the design looks like an engagement ring tattoo...
That same day, he covers his larger forearm tattoo of David.
May 18: Bossip reports that Grande and Davidson are "casually" dating.
May ~19: Jeweler Greg Yuna told E! News in June that Davidson called him at the "end of May" asking for a ring. Although the comedian never revealed who the ring was for, many assume it was the engagement ring for Grande. We're led to assume that Yuna was referring to the week of May 19.
May 20: Stealthy Arianators sneak a video of Davidson with Grande's entourage at the Billboard Music Awards. Twitter fans quickly notice a new tattoo on her middle finger: a cloud similar to Davidson's. It's deduced that Davidson and Grande may have received these new finger tattoos together.
.@ArianaGrande via instagram pic.twitter.com/4D9DCNwr7I
— Ariana Grande Updates (@Arianastourdate) May 21, 2018
May 22-30: Several Instagram comments, Stories, and Harry Potter references later, the two appear to be dating at full speed.
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June 2: Davidson gets two Grande-inspired tattoos: her Dangerous Woman bunny mask on his neck and her initials, "AG," on his right thumb.
Ariana Grande's boyfriend Pete Davidson has gotten tattooed her initials and her iconic 'Dangerous Woman' bunny ears. pic.twitter.com/i9cJSNbTs9
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 2, 2018
June 11: Davidson and Grande are reportedly engaged.
June 18: Davidson and Grande (along with a few friends) get matching "H2GKMO" tattoos on their hands. The meaning? Fans strongly suspect it's a phrase — "honest to god knock me out" — Ari and crew say often, especially on Twitter.
H2gkmo because this tattoo is the best pic.twitter.com/URVeVca1XJ
— kyia is here for ariana♡ (@oItvisuals) June 18, 2018
June 26: Grande posts a photo of her hand to her Instagram story, revealing two new tattoos. One shows the number "561," which is the area code for Boca Raton, Florida, where she was born and raised. (It's also revealed on another Instagram story that Davidson has a similar tattoo of his hometown area code on his left thumb.)
Ariana has the number “561” on her thumb. It is the area code of her hometown, Boca Raton. It also matches Pete’s tattoo on his thumb, also the area code of his hometown, Staten Island ? pic.twitter.com/yAO2MIb14n
— loɹɐɔ ♀ (@oppsarigb) June 8, 2018
The other just above it reads "reborn" — seemingly matching the same Kid Cudi-inspired tattoo Davidson also got a week before.
Right after I tweeted this I watched her story and she has a tattoo that says reborn........ um @ArianaGrande that means you should be my friend pic.twitter.com/Pe1LkFXgGo
— reilly ??♀️ (@reillyfaberrr) June 26, 2018
June 30: Grande gets a tattoo in tribute to Davidson's late father on her left ankle. The number — "8418" — was his father's firefighter badge number. Davidson also has the number inked on his arm.
July 7: Davidson debuts yet another covered tattoo, on his right-hand ring finger this time. Covering what seems to be a faded "forever" tattoo now reads "goon." Davidson captioned the photo on Instagram: "As I was, as I am. as I always will be."
Cmon now ksksksks pic.twitter.com/Jwg4bxlA7H
— abeed (@oscarsissac) July 8, 2018
Later that day, Grande posts photos from her music video with Nicki Minaj for their song "Bed." In both the video and photo below, fans notice Grande has a new tattoo below her ribs (a trendy spot, at that). Although the word itself doesn't immediately suggest it has anything to do with Davidson, stan Instagram accounts speculate it was designed by Davidson per a copy of his handwriting in a letter he wrote his sister.
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July 12: Fans quickly spot a new tattoo on Grande's finger. Although it's never confirmed, most guess the teeny tiny word says, "Pete."
Her tattoo either says Pete or arte? What do you think it says ? @ArianaGrande pic.twitter.com/2hmjv7NyXp
— ɥɐɹɐS ? (@honevbabies) July 12, 2018
September 7: Davidson is seen outside, without a shirt, rocking a brand new tattoo dedicated to Grande. This one is self-explanatory considering it literally reads, "Grande," down his ribcage.
September 17: Grande and Davidson not only share a home, but now a pet — a pet pig, to be exact. It's name is Piggie Smallz. Davidson commemorates the milestone with a tattoo on his lower stomach.
September 21: Davidson copies one of Grande's oldest tattoos, a quote from Breakfast at Tiffany's, "Mille tendresse." Not only did Davidson copy the script, but he also got it in the exact spot Grande has hers: on the back of the neck.
October 10: Fans catch Davidson on Saturday Night Live with one of his Grande tattoos covered up. Now, in place of her Dangerous Woman bunny ears, lives a filled-in heart. Twitter wonders if this is a sign of trouble in paradise, but no one knows for sure until the news of the couple's called-off engagement breaks on October 14.
What happened to Pete Davidson’s tattoo of the Dangerous Woman bunny ears?? #SNL pic.twitter.com/fXLQpD7f5z
— zach (@zacheese1) October 7, 2018
October 17: Grande films the NBC special A Very Wicked Halloween and appears on stage with a new makeup look and one missing tattoo. Upon closer inspection, it appears Grande covers her rumored "Pete" finger tattoo with a bandage for her upcoming performance.
October 21: During a comedy routine at the Judd and Pete for America benefit at Largo at the Coronet, Davidson addresses his new roommate search and exactly how "stupid" he was to get so many tattoos relating to Grande.
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"So, obviously you know I, we, broke up or whatever. But when me and her first got engaged, we got tattoos,” he says. “And it was like in a magazine like, 'Was Pete Davidson stupid?' And 93% of it said yes. So my boy, he was like, ‘Don't listen to that shit, man. They're literally fucking haters.’ And I'm like, yeah, fuck that. I'm not stupid. And the other day we were in my kitchen and he was like, ‘Yo bro. Turns out you were stupid.’”
Our only question now: Will Davidson live the rest of his life with a collection of tattoos dedicated to his ex-fiancée or spend the next few months in and out of tattoo parlors to cover them all up? (It wouldn't be his first time.)
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