The whirlwind romance and engagement of Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson seems to be over.
While many were left unsurprised by the news, the question still lingers, why?
Let's get to the bottom of the end of summer 2018's most lit love affair, and break down
the real reasons these two broke up.
Moving too fast
In the wake of their breakup, insiders close to Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson dropped
some truth on TMZ that we all already knew in our hearts, these two were moving way too
fast.
The two were first reported to be together in May and announced their engagement shortly
after.
But that flurry of passion has now fallen apart.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, an insider claimed that the two hit the ground running
on their romance out of a sense of instant connection, and while their engagement is
now off, their loving bond is still real.
They're victims of circumstance and bad timing, but Davidson was there during a hard time
in her life, and she'll always be grateful for that.
Missing Mac
Sources told TMZ that the breaking point for Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson's relationship
was the unexpected death of her ex, rapper Mac Miller.
The Pittsburgh-based performer passed away in September of a suspected drug overdose,
and the news devastated Grande.
It also caused her to reexamine her relationship with Davidson, questioning whether it was
what she needed right now.
Reportedly, her reaction caused an argument that lasted for weeks.
According to a report by The Sun, Grande dumped Davidson out of a realization that she needed
more support than the comic could provide.
Apparently, the two split up in secret before the news became public, and she's already
vacated their shared apartment.
But it's more than just Mac's death that put strain on the couple, it was also pressure
from Grande's family.
Family feud
Early into their engagement, Grande reportedly didn't have an issue with her fiancé's professed
enthusiasm for drug use, and would make jokes about his frequently being high.
But that might have changed when Davidson was pulled over by police in August, and a
friend in his vehicle was arrested for possession of marijuana edibles.
According to reports, Ariana's brother Frankie, who recently celebrated one year of sobriety,
was all-but-begging her to leave Davidson.
Apparently, Frankie was always encouraged by Ariana to stop hanging around people who
used drugs during his journey to sobriety.
Now he's turning that logic back on his sister.
It might've been too much for the couple to overcome, especially because Davidson doesn't
seem interested in sobriety for any reason.
While Davidson was sober for a three month period prior to his relationship with Grande,
he was open about hating the experience, and decided to go back to his old ways.
As he said to Howard Stern in September 2017,
"I was sober for three months at one point and was like, 'This f---ing sucks.
I don't want to feel like this.'"
Insecurities
Fans and Internet trolls were so nasty about Davidson and Grande's relationship that they
drove him off social media, which he talked about in a Howard Stern interview.
"I got a death threat.
Someone wanted to shoot me in the face."
"Like a legitimate death threat?"
"Because she's so hot."
"Well of course."
"You know how insane that is?"
Davidson has been openly insecure about the perceived aesthetic differences between him
and Grande in a number of interviews.
He told Variety in August 2018,
"I'm still convinced she's blind or hit her head really hard."
Davidson has also joked about the relationship on Saturday Night Live, typically at his own
expense.
In one segment, he joked that he switched her birth control pills with Tic-Tacs to make
sure she doesn't leave him, but even with that, here's where we ended up anyway.
Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Objects of desire
We spent all summer listening to this couple shouting their love for one another from the
rooftops.
But Davidson's romantic posturing sometimes sounded more like lust than love, and given
Grande's history, that may have bothered her.
Davidson frequently mined his girlfriend's sex symbol status for humor, talking about
their sex life in his standup, and sharing anecdotes about random men congratulating
him on dating someone so attractive.
Grande is no prude, but she's said previously that she hates being reduced to a conquest
rather than a living, breathing person.
It's a topic that also came up in her previous relationship with Mac Miller.
When one fan approached the rapper to congratulate him on, quote, "hitting that", while she was
right there listening, no less, she shared her thoughts on the matter at length on Twitter.
It shouldn't need to be said, but that kind of treatment hurts.
Grande wrote,
"This may not seem like a big deal to some of you but I felt sick and objectified.
[...] Things like [that] happen all the time and are the kinds of moments that contribute
to women's sense of fear and inadequacy.
I am not a piece of meat that a man gets to utilize for his pleasure."
One less problem
All hope is not lost for the relationship.
A source told Us Weekly that the breakup really might be more of a break, noting,
"The wedding is off, but they're working things out.
They're not officially done yet."
Another insider said the same to ET, alleging that the couple hasn't broken off contact,
though they have decided to split.
The plan now is to remain friends, with the door open for a deeper relationship down the
line.
So while now might not be the right time for this young couple, they could still have a
future together.
It's a good thing they figured it out before they tied the knot; now they've got plenty
of time to work it out.