Ariana Grande Apologized To Ricky Alvarez For That 'Thank U, Next' Line

Ariana Grande dropped a surprise breakup anthem on Saturday (Nov. 3) and we can confirm: "thank u, next" is a jam. Fans of Ari are loving the wholesome message behind her new track: be grateful for the lessons you learned during your past relationships and learn to love yourself. The 25-year-old pop star went so far as to thank her own exes, including Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Pete Davidson, and Mac Miller, by name in the lyrics. 

While name-dropping your ex-boyfriends in a song might appear like a savage move at first, Ari actually let at least two of her exes listen to the track before it dropped. Ari's ex Ricky - of donut licking fame - had a hilarious reaction to the line in "thank u, next" that references him, too, showing that he's actually totally cool with the song. He posted a video of himself listening to "thank u, next" and as the lyrics "Wrote some songs about Ricky/Now I listen and laugh," play, he zooms in super close on his face. His expression says it all: 

There's no shade there, either. Ariana reposted the video to her own Instagram Story, adding the caption, "I'm sorry you got the worst line...it was meant v. lovingly."

Ricky isn't the only one of Ari's exes to react publicly to being mentioned in "thank u, next." After coming under fire for making a joke about his failed engagement in an SNL promo, Pete Davidson followed his former fianceé's lead and made a respectful statement about the breakup during the Weekend Update skit on Saturday. "I know some of you are curious about the breakup, but the truth is it’s nobody’s business and sometimes things just don’t work out," the 24-year-old comedian said. "And that’s okay. She’s a wonderful, strong person and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world."

Shoutout to Ariana Grande for showing the world how to handle a very public breakup like a total boss. As the queen would say: thank u, next!

Photo: Getty