It appears that Ariana Grande's parents haven't quite taken to her tune, "We Can't Be Friends." Despite the "Positions" crooner's mom, Joan Grande, and dad, Ed Butera, experiencing a rocky patch post their divorce in the early 2000s, Ariana admits she finds it impossible to sever their ties nowadays. "They may not be an item anymore, but they're inseparable best buds," she revealed in the February 10th episode of WTF with Marc Maron. "It took eighteen long years and quite a bit of prodding from me. I pushed them to reconnect. I really did."
Recalling the poignant moment, the Wicked actress—who garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her stellar role in the film—shared how she confronted her parents on her 24th birthday in 2017, having had enough. "I vividly remember standing at a crucial juncture, thinking, 'You both mean the world to me. It's been far too long. Sort this mess out already!' Ariana recounted. "Like, come on, eighteen years is a lifetime. Please, let bygones be bygones.' And miraculously, they did."
When unveiling how the estranged duo—who graced the red carpet together at the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked, accompanied by Ariana's half-brother Frankie Grande, in November—finally buried the hatchet, Ariana described it as the "perfect resolution." "I suppose they had some heartfelt conversations," she elaborated, "or perhaps realized that their love for me drowned out all the silly squabbles from way back when. It's truly heartwarming."
She further added, "It left quite an impression on me too. It was a beautiful, healing experience."
For over a decade now, healing has been a recurring theme in the Grande-Butera saga. Ariana had earlier confided that "losing touch" with Ed in 2013 was the hardest trial she had ever faced. "It took me ages to come to terms with it," she told Seventeen in 2014. "So much of my identity stems from my dad, and for a long time, I didn't appreciate that part of myself. I had to embrace the fact that it's okay to disagree with someone yet cherish them."
But Ariana has since mended fences with her dad too, even paying homage to him and her younger self by using her full name, Ariana Grande-Butera, in the Wicked end credits. "It was a pleasant shock and he shed tears of joy," she shared with Entertainment Tonight in November. "It was an incredibly emotional moment."
