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5 min read
Ariana Grande’s latest kissing challenge with boyfriend Ricky Alvarez has caught fans’ attention. Social media users are comparing her PDA-filled romance with Alvarez to her notably private relationship with ex-boyfriend Ethan Slater.
Ariana Grande has become the subject of online discourse after her latest Instagram video with Ricky Alvarez has brought her past relationship with Ethan Slater back into the conversation.
The Into Yousinger recently teamed up with her rekindled boyfriend for a playful kissing challenge to promote her beauty brand, R.E.M. Beauty. But it wasn’t just the lip products or their flirty chemistry that gained attention. Fans quickly compared how openly affectionate Grande appears with Alvarez to how private she was during her relationship with Slater.
The video, shared on November 7, features the couple taking part in a guessing game in which Alvarez has to identify the lip product Grande is wearing simply by kissing her. While the clip was meant to be a fun promotional activity, it has since become another talking point surrounding the singer’s love life, with social media users pointing out the apparent difference between her two relationships.
Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez
‘s kissing challenge gets fans talking
The challenge begins with Grande applying different R.E.M. Beauty products before kissing Alvarez, who has to guess which formula she is wearing. Introducing the game as “what’s on my girlfriend’s lips”, the dancer appears more than happy to play along.
The first round features the Blur Butter Lip Balm and Essential Drip Glossy Balm. After ruling out the former based on its matte texture, Alvarez correctly identifies the Glossy Balm, explaining that its texture was easier to recognise.
Things get a little more complicated in the following rounds when Grande introduces a plumping gloss. Alvarez struggles to identify the formula and jokes that his taste buds might still be affected by the spicy ramen he recently ate. He even asks for more kisses to make sure of his answer, but the extra attempts do not exactly help him win the challenge.
Fans compare Ariana Grande’s PDA with Ricky Alvarez to her relationship with Ethan Slater
While Grande and Alvarez’s kissing challenge was certainly playful, fans soon brought Ethan Slater into the discussion. The singer was previously in a relationship with her Wicked co-star for nearly three years, but the couple largely kept their romance away from her personal social media.
Throughout their time together, Grande rarely shared couple photographs with Slater or offered fans glimpses of their private moments. Even their public appearances together were relatively limited.
Her relationship with Alvarez, meanwhile, appears to have a rather different social media presence. Since rekindling their romance in 2026, Grande has shared affectionate photographs, playful videos and several PDA-filled moments with the dancer. The latest R.E.M. Beauty collaboration has only added to that contrast.
A user wrote, “Seen more of Rickiana than I saw of Ethan in 2 years, oh don’t make that face.” Another fan mentioned mockingly, “See how she never did this with Ethan.”
@PopBase see how she never did this with ethan https://t.co/diofYsC52K
— kai♡ 🇧🇷 (@kairoyaltyy) November 7, 2026
@PopBase Seen more of Rickiana than I saw of Ethan in 2 years, oh don’t make that face. https://t.co/ty7uDHPncY
— 𝒂 (@coxrab) November 7, 2026
A third user noted, “Oh, she was EMBARRASSED of that man… but it’s okay Ariana, we all been there before.”
@PopBase Oh she was EMBARRASSED of that man.. but it’s okay Ariana we all been there before 😂
— DEE:-P (@HYLTSEHUN) November 7, 2026
Fans were quick to point out the difference, with some joking that Slater “got none of this” and suggesting that Grande would never have participated in such an openly affectionate video with her former boyfriend.
The comparisons also brought attention to the decade-long history between Grande and Alvarez. The two originally dated between 2015 and 2016, during her Honeymoon Tour, but reportedly remained close even after their romantic relationship ended. For some fans, their longstanding friendship could explain why the singer appears so comfortable sharing these moments with him.
@rembeauty @TeamAriana They are so freaking cute. She’s so happy and we LOVE to see it 💕🫦🥺
— M A J I D (@Majid_K_1994) November 7, 2026
Relationship history of Ariana Grande with Ricky Alvarez
Grande and Alvarez’s rekindled romance became a subject of speculation during the summer of 2026. Following her reported split from Slater in June, Alvarez was spotted spending time with the singer and her family in Florida around the Fourth of July weekend.
Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez are officially back together, TMZ reports. (https://t.co/eeWhv4a3cY) https://t.co/GUghxpNSWb
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 14, 2026
One particular moment that fans could not stop discussing involved the singer changing the lyrics of her song Thank U, Next. Instead of singing the original line, “now I listen and laugh”, she reportedly changed it to “I’m tryna make him my last” and “We always find our way back”.
Ariana Grande jumps into boyfriend Ricky Álvarez’s arms backstage at the ‘eternal sunshine’ tour. https://t.co/5mGmaGh4C9
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) August 28, 2026
The singer has also shared glimpses of their time outside their professional commitments. On November 2, Grande posted an Instagram photo dump featuring the couple embracing in a New York City park and sharing an affectionate moment. The post also included their interaction with a runner participating in the New York City Marathon, whom they surprised with a handwritten note.
Interestingly, reports have also suggested that Slater learned about Grande and Alvarez’s reunion through mutual friends rather than directly from the singer.
Grande’s latest R.E.M. Beauty challenge has given fans another reason to revisit her relationship history. And judging by the reactions, the comparison between her PDA-filled romance with Alvarez and her much more private relationship with Slater is unlikely to disappear from the conversation anytime soon.
