Inside Ariana Grande And Dalton Gomez's Low Key Relationship
Nickelodeon star-turned-pop music supernova Ariana Grande's love life has gotten more attention than an open bottle of sarsaparilla at a bee farm, and the scrutiny has not been easy on her. (Sure, her voice otherworldly, but may we not forget that she is only human.) So this time around, she is limiting how much of her love life she puts out into the world. Given her level of celebrity, pulling her personal life out of the spotlight is not exactly an easy task, but she seems set on keeping her relationship with real estate agent Dalton Gomez significantly more private than, say, some of her previous romances.
When Florence Pugh posted about her own relationship with Zach Braff on Instagram Stories in April 2020, Grande shared the Midsommar actor's post and wrote (via People), "Sharing special, personal life things that make u happy on the internet can be truly traumatic. I know I've taken a step back from doing so to protect my loved ones and myself but I just wanted to share this and let u know how perfectly u expressed this and how appreciated u are for doing so."
The "God Is a Woman" singer has posted here and there about Gomez, but for the most part? The relationship cards remain close to her vest. And yes, in this particular case, when we say "vest," we mean "iconic ponytail."
This relationship flew under the radar for a bit
Most of Ariana Grande's past relationships caught the eye of the public right away, but the incredibly famous pop star's relationship with Dalton Gomez managed to stay out of the limelight for a little while. On March 25, 2020, TMZ reported Grande and Gomez were in a relationship, and that relationship had been going on for "several months" already. The day the TMZ scoop broke, People and Us Weekly also reported the two were dating. People's source said Grande and Gomez's thing began in January.
It was not an accident that Grande and Gomez's relationship remained under wraps for many months. As a source told ET, "Ariana has had some hesitation being so public about her relationship with Dalton as she's seen how that has worn on her past relationships." This also came up in the aforementioned People report, where an insider said that Grande "doesn't want to do another public relationship so she is trying to keep this one quiet." The source also shared that the "7 Rings" singer "seems very happy with Dalton." Grande has been in multiple high-profile relationships over the last few years, and evidently, she was not in any sort of rush to put this one on display for all the world to see. Alas, it would not (or could not?) fly under the radar forever.
They had a make-out session at a mall restaurant
Before entertainment news outlets spilled that Ariana Grande was dating Dalton Gomez, TMZ released a video of Grande making out with a dude at a chain restaurant at a Northridge, California mall. In February 2020, Grande, a "mystery man," and some of their friends went to Bar Louie at Northridge Fashion Center and hung out for about half an hour. Grande and the "mystery man" smooched in what was apparently a very well-lit booth, and a patron who was seated across from them caught the moment on camera.
At the time, the identity of the "mystery man" was, well, a mystery, but as TMZ pointed out, he almost definitely was not Mikey Foster. In 2019, rumors bubbled up that Grande was romantically involved with the Social House member, but the two never confirmed that they were dating. In March 2020, a source told HollywoodLife that Grande and Foster called it after nine months, but there was not any "real drama to worry about." Another insider claimed to HollywoodLife that it was "a fling that was fun but it wasn't ever going to lead into something super serious," and they "are totally cool about it" not working out. Another source told HollywoodLife that when Foster saw the video of Grande with the "mystery man," he "realized things were officially done between him and Ariana." About a month after that video hit, word got out that the "mystery man" was Dalton Gomez.
Dalton Gomez was her mystery quarantine pal
Dalton Gomez was the mystery man at the Bar Louie in Northridge, and, as TMZ reported in March 2020, he was also the mystery man in Ariana Grande's social media posts. After the stay at home order was implemented in Los Angeles, some fans noticed a guy kept showing up in Grande's Instagram Stories. Said fans started to piece together that the guy who kept showing up in her IG content was Dalton Gomez.
Grande and Gomez have been social distancing together during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, a source told People, "One of the people she is with right now is Dalton —they have been hanging out for a couple of months." That same month, E! reported a source said Grande has "gotten to know him quickly with the quarantine" and that the two have "been spending a lot of one on one time at home."
Before they started spending a lot of one on one time at home, they were spending time out in public. Weeks before they went into quarantine mode, Grande and Gomez attended a party Scooter Braun threw for his wife, Yael Cohen, after she became a United States citizen. And, of course, there was the infamous trip to the Northridge Bar Louie of February 2020.
There was a case of mistaken identity
On May 15, 2020, the Daily Mail shared photographs of Ariana Grande out on a drive with her longtime friend Aaron Simon Gross. However, as her fans noted on Twitter, the outlet originally reported that she was out with Dalton Gomez. The following day, Grande posted a birthday slideshow for Gross on Instagram, and made sure to feature a screengrab of the Daily Mail article that mistook him for Gomez. The old headline, which was paired with some snapshots of Grande and Gross out and about in their masks, reads, "Ariana Grande and new beau Dalton Gomez keep their masks on as they take a spin around town in a Tesla." The Daily Mail eventually changed the headline to: "Ariana Grande and BFF Aaron Simon Gross keep their masks on as they take a spin around town in a Tesla."
Grande and Gross have been friends since they were kids. All the way back in 2007, they created a web series together called Freaky Forever, in the comment section of one of the episodes, Grande shared that she and Gross have been best friends since they were six years old. In 2008, they were both in the Broadway musical 13. And in the year 2020? They wound up on the Daily Mail together, all thanks to a case of mistaken identity.
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez confirmed their relationship in a music video
Before the video for Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's collaboration "Stuck with U" came out in May 2020, Grande and Dalton Gomez still had not formally announced their coupledom. Sure, fans were already aware of their relationship before "Stuck with U" dropped, but aside from a handful of vague Instagram posts, Grande and Gomez had not officially acknowledged that they were an item before then. So when the music video cut to a shot of Grande and Gomez dancing around and embracing, it was kind of a big deal.
The music video for the single, which is a fundraiser for First Responders Children's Foundation, features a bunch of clips of people spending time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and near the end of the visual, we see Grande hugging Gomez. But wait, there's more: Some Arianators pointed out on Twitter that it sounds like Gomez and Grande might be talking at the very beginning of the track, which would be fun. Also, hats off to those fans and their moth-like hearing for catching that quick exchange.
Anyway, with that, their relationship was official. Or should we say, "music video official"? Whatever you want to call it, they are lovin', they're livin', they're turnin' it up.
Another duet featured another Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez moment
Shortly after "Stuck with U" dropped, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande released "Rain On Me," and to promote the single while staying safe at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gaga and Grande filmed "weather reports" from their respective houses. In one of the clips, both Gaga and Grande hold Weather Channel umbrellas as they talk about the "rainstorm" that rolled into Los Angeles without warning. As the video continues, we find out where the "rain" is coming from: Someone in a mask stands next to Gaga and sprays the A Star Is Born actor's umbrella with a garden hose.
We also see someone standing over Grande and spraying her umbrella with a showerhead. His face is blocked by a chyron, but as Grande shared on Instagram Stories (via ET), the person behind the "rain" was none other than Dalton Gomez. This was yet another little cameo by Gomez that happened before Grande made their relationship Instagram official. "Rain On Me"? More like "Rain On Meet Dalton," right?!
And with that, this pair was "music video promo official." The "Instagram official" milestone, on the other hand, was still about a month away.
Ariana Grande waited a while before making things Instagram official
The relationship milestone the masses waited for finally happened several months after they started their romance journey. On June 25, 2020, which was the day before her 27th birthday, Ariana Grande took to Instagram to share several videos and pictures, including a selfie she took with Dalton Gomez. The June 25, 2020 post was the first time Grande released a photo they took together.
Sure, before this particular carousel hit the social media app, Gomez did indeed pop up in a few of her Instagram Stories, but that selfie felt like the pop star's way of addressing their coupledom without getting too formal or spilling too many details. It was the moment when outlets declared the two "Instagram official."
The seal was broken. When Gomez's birthday rolled around several weeks later, Grande posted several videos and photos the two have taken together, as well as a message to her beau. She wrote, "hbd to my baby my best friend my fav part of all the days :) i love u." That is right, friends. Grande went and told the whole world that she loves Gomez. Consider it a milestone for the books.
Dalton Gomez isn't famous but has famous connections
Dalton Gomez is a "normal" guy; unlike Ariana Grande, he is not a celebrity. That being said, he is pals with some famous individuals and is a real estate agent to the stars. (And, you know, there is that whole thing where he is currently in a relationship with one of the most famous people on this mortal coil. "Normal" is relative.) As a source told HollywoodLife in August 2020, Gomez is "a very well connected guy."
An insider revealed to E! in March 2020 that Gomez and Grande "run in the same circle." The source continued, "He used to be a dancer and they have many mutual friends." One of those mutual friends just so happens to be Miley Cyrus. In 2017, Cyrus fans spotted the "Slide Away" singer in one of Gomez's Instagram Stories, and what do you know? Grande and Cyrus are longtime buddies.
The celebrity-civilian dynamic is a unique one, and it seems to be working out for Grande and Gomez. When the Observer asked relationship expert Andrea Syrtash about famous people dating normals back in 2017, she explained that it can work "but takes a little more coordination and communication." She said, "Celebrities can successfully date ordinary people as long as they're both aware they will be publicly scrutinized and that their lives may be dictated by the celebrity's appearance and production schedule."
Dalton Gomez sold a house in Ariana Grande's lawyer's name
Dalton Gomez is a real estate agent at Aaron Kirman Group, a Beverly Hills-based luxury real estate team. As a real estate agent at this company, he has experience, as People put it, "closing high-profile deals." One such deal just so happens to involve an actor from The Big Bang Theory and Grande's lawyer. In October 2019, the Los Angeles Times reported Kunal Nayyar bought a house that was in the name of Aaron Rosenberg, who is Ariana Grande's attorney. The listing agents on the property: Aaron Kirman and Dalton Gomez. What a world!
A mere four months after the Los Angeles Times shared this real estate story, Grande and Gomez were spotted canoodling at a restaurant at Northridge Fashion Center. That would be the first major celebrity news story about the two, but it definitely would not be the last. As Dr. Jenn Mann told the Observer in 2017, "When you enter the fishbowl with them, it means tabloids are ready to write about you and say mean things and your relationship is under a microscope." Some call it a fishbowl, others call it a booth at a Bar Louie.
Dalton Gomez keeps a relatively low profile
Dalton Gomez is dating one of the biggest pop stars on the planet and is part of a high-end real estate team that is featured on CNBC show Listing Impossible, but he has managed to maintain some level of privacy. For starters, he is not actually a member of the Listing Impossible cast, so it is not as if he is putting his life on a reality series. And as for his Instagram account, @dalton_jacob? It is private. Of course, his Instagram posts do inevitably make their way on over to fan accounts, so it is not like they are totally hidden from everyone on the internet, but hey, they are still technically private.
Gomez seems to prefer to stay just out on the periphery of the spotlight... well, aside from that whole thing where he entered into a relationship with Ariana Grande, that is. A source shared with HollywoodLife in August 2020 that Gomez is "not the type to be in it for the fame." Another insider told the outlet, "You can tell he doesn't care about her fame or her money, he is such a genuine person and sees her for the real her."
There's already talk about what the kids would look like
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have already talked about kids. Er, wait. That's not quite right, let's try it again: Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have already talked about a future baby generator's rendering of what their kids would look like. On Gomez's birthday, Grande wished him a happy day on Instagram with a carousel of videos and pictures they've taken together, along with a meme someone created that predicted what their "kids could look like." The meme took a photo of Gomez, a photo of Grande, swapped their faces, and presented the results to the internet. The face-swapped images are... something to behold.
Leave it to Ari to casually reference having kids with Gomez a mere few weeks after she was at the center of yet another pregnancy rumor. In July 2020, some individuals suspected she was expecting a child after she posted a picture that they incorrectly assumed was of a baby bump. Sheesh, even when Grande goes out of her way to have a low profile relationship that is not raked over the gossip rag coals, she ends up at the center of some piece of tittle-tattle about her being with child. They thought she tried to hide it, fake it, but the rumor can't pretend anymore. This is the part where we say we— okay, that's enough of that.