Meet Ariana Grande's Parents! All About Her Mom Joan Grande and Dad Ed Butera (and the Subtle Way She Honored Them inWicked)

Mar. 15, 2025

Joan Grande, Ariana Grande and Edward Butera arrive at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage

Throughout her journey from Nickelodeon star to Grammy Award winner,Ariana Grandehas had the unwavering support of her parents, Ed Butera andJoan Grande.

Ariana was born and raised in Boca Raton, Fla., where her father’s graphic design practice and Joan’s communications equipment company are based. The singer’s parents split when she was young, but the exes are now “best friends” thanks to Ariana’s encouragement.

“It took 18 years and it took me forcing it. I forced them to communicate again. I really did," Ariana said on theWTF with Marc Maronpodcast in February 2025. “[Now] I can’t separate them. It’s the best thing in the whole world.”

The “Thank U, Next” singer is particularly close with her brother Frankie, whom Joan welcomed with her first husband, Victor Marchione. In November 2024, the entire family supported Ariana at theLos Angeles premiere ofWicked, in which the pop star portrays Glinda.

From how her mom knew she’d be a star to her reconciliation with her dad, here’s everything to know about Ariana Grande’s parents.

Joan realized Ariana could sing when she was 3 years old

Ariana Grande with her mom Joan Grande and brother Frankie Grande.Ariana Grande/Instagram

Joan realized her daughter had quite the musical gift when Ariana was just a toddler.

“She was probably 3, 3½,” the pop star’s mom once recalled to PEOPLE. “And she was in her car seat and I was driving and listening toNSYNCas every mother should be. She hit one ofJC [Chasez]’s power high notes and I kind of pulled the car over and I said, ‘Ariana, was that you?’ "

Joan laughed and added, “She didn’t know. She thought everybody sounds like that.”

Joan and Ed split when Ariana was young

Ariana Grande with her mom Joan Grande and dad Ed Butera celebrating Thanksgiving in 2019.Ariana Grande/ Instagram

Ariana’s parents split when she was 8, according toEntertainment Tonight. The pop star references their marriage in the lyrics of her 2018 hit “Thank U, Next,” when she sings, “One day I’ll walk down the aisle / Holding hands with my mama / I’ll be thanking my dad / ‘Cause she grew from the drama.”

Joan and Ed are now “best friends” despite their past conflicts.

“I remember just kind of being at this pivotal point where I was just like, ‘You guys, I love you both so much. It’s been such a long time. Figure it the f— out,’ ” she recalled on theWTF with Marc Maronpodcast. “Like hello, it’s been 18 years. Please get over it. And they did. It makes me really happy.”

Ariana fell out of touch with Ed, but they later reconciled

Ariana Grande with her dad Ed Butera over Thanksgiving in 2019.Edward Butera Instagram

During her 2014Seventeeninterview, Ariana shared that she was estranged from her father at the time. “It’s private, but it happened last year,” she said. “It took me so long to be okay with it. The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him.”

The singer continued: “So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn’t like that about myself. I had to accept that it’s okay not to get along with somebody and still love them.”

There appeared to be a turning point in their relationship before her2020 Grammysperformance, where Ariana changed the “Thank U, Next” lyrics to: “I’ll be thanking my dad/ ‘Cause he’s really awesome.” Since she sang the revised version, the two have celebrated holidays together and expressed their love on social media.

She added: “I am deeply grateful for your being in my life and proud to be your daughter everyday ~ happy father’s day.”

Joan is a multifaceted businesswoman

Joan Grande and Ariana Grande pose in the Music Choice Lounge backstage at the 2013 American Music Awards.John Sciulli/AMA2013/Getty

When she’s not cheering on her kids, Joan is working as president and CEO ofHose-McCann Communications. On its website, HMC describes its team as “leaders in the marine industry” and notes that its customers include the U.S. and Canadian coast guards, the U.S. Navy and other “leading maritime nations.”

Joan also collaborates with her son Frankie on their production company, Diamond Dog Entertainment. PerDDE’s website, the company nurtures talent and invests in “diverse projects that seek to change the landscape of the entertainment world.” Some of its projects include the witty horror filmSummoning Sylvia(also starring Frankie) andTitanique The Musical, a comedic retelling ofTitanicthrough the lens and music ofCéline Dion.

Joan was with Ariana at the 2017 Manchester bombing

Joan was present at her daughter’s May 2017 concert in Manchester, where a bomber killed 22 people and injured more than 500 at Ariana’sDangerous Woman Tourstopin the U.K. city.

While speaking withEllein 2018, Joan opened up about the terrifying moments following the terror attack. “I was like a fish swimming in the wrong direction. Everyone was leaving, and I was going toward the stage,” she said. “I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I was going to my daughter. Not to be overly dramatic — I struggle with this every day — but I didn’t know what I would find when I got to her. I sympathize with every parent who was waiting for a child. Those minutes when you don’t know what’s happening…there are no words.”

After the bombing, Joan and Ariana returned to their hometown in Florida, where Ariana immediately started planning theOne Love Manchester benefit concert.

“It was two or three in the morning; she crawled into bed and said, ‘Mom, let’s be honest, I’m never not going to sing again. But I’m not going to sing again until I sing in Manchester first,’ ” Joan recalled to the outlet. The concert was held in Manchester less than two weeks later, and raised $23 million for charity.

Ed is a graphic designer and photographer

Ariana Grande and her dad Ed Butera in June 2020.Edward Butera Instagram

Ed is a graphic designer, photographer and owner of Ibi Designs, a South Florida-based creative studio. Per thecompany’s website, he founded the agency in 1992 and has since produced a variety of award-winning websites, graphics and photography.

Ariana’s father occasionally shares his work onInstagram. Ed’s bio on the social media platform reads: “Father, Artist, Graphic Designer, Photographer and Avid Angler.”

Ariana took her parents to the 2020 Grammys

Ariana Grande and her parents attend the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Ariana performed and was nominated for five awards at the 2020 Grammys, and she brought her parents along for the special evening. On the red carpet, the singer posed in her gray Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown withone arm around each parentwhile Joan grinned and Ed gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Joan and Ed are Ariana’s biggest fans

Joan Grande, Frankie J Grande and Ariana Grande pose before Madonna performs onstage during her “Rebel Heart” tour at Madison Square Garden on September 16, 2015 in New York City.Kevin Mazur/Getty

Ed has also expressed his pride for his daughter on social media. On Ariana’s 29th birthday, he posted anInstagram photoof them together at her wedding and wrote, “Happy Birthday Ariana, So so proud of you for everything you do. Love Daddy.”

They supported Ariana at theWickedpremiere

Ed Butera, Joan Grande and Frankie Grande at the Los Angeles premiere of “Wicked”.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Ariana’s family attended theLos Angeles premiere ofWickedin November 2024. Joan, Ed and Frankie posed for photos together on the red carpet before watching the pop star’s highly-anticipated portrayal of Glinda.

When a journalist asked her why she chose to use her “full grown-up name," Ariana replied, “Technically, it’s my little girl name.”

“I just feel likethis experience was such a homecomingfor me," she said. “That was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old, and it felt like a really lovely way of honoring that. It felt really full circle.”

source: people.com