All the Signs Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson Were on the Brink of Breaking Up
Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande broke off their engagement. From tattoos to prenups, here are the signs they were headed toward a split
Now that Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande‘s romance has come to an end, fans are realizing the signs were there all along — despite all the PDA.
The Saturday Night Live comedian, 24, and pop star, 25 — who first started dating in May 2018 and got engaged just three weeks later — ended their engagement this past weekend, PEOPLE confirmed on Sunday.
“It was way too much too soon,” a Grande source said. “It’s not shocking to anyone.” Another insider told TMZ that the timing just wasn’t right.
RELATED: Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson End Engagement: ‘It Was Way Too Much Too Soon,’ Says Source
Here are all the indications there was trouble in paradise.
Davidson covered up his bunny ears tattoo
Early into the romance, the actor got thePlayboy-inspired bunny ears mask (the one Grande wore on the cover of her Dangerous Woman album) tattooed on the left side of his neck.
But as of early last week, the bunny ears were gone and instead a large heart tattoo took its place. The New York Post‘s Page Six speculated at the time that he transformed his tattoo to match Grande, who has a large heart tattoo on her body (it’s unclear where).
Grande dropped out of her SNL performance
Kanye West opened this season of the comedy sketch show on Sept. 17 with a controversial, politically charged performance because, producer Lorne Michaels confirmed, Grande dropped out “for emotional reasons.”
Grande’s ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died of an overdose shortly before the scheduled appearance, on Sept. 7.
Grande canceled a charity performance hosted by manager Scooter Braun
The day before news broke about the split, she opted out of attending a cancer benefit hosted by Grande’s manager Scooter Braun.
During his speech on Saturday at F—k Cancer‘s Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala in L.A., Braun, 37, acknowledged the singer’s absence before introducing the event’s fill-in performer, Trevor Noah.
“Someone that I am very close to could not be here today because of things that she is going through,” he said, without providing specifics. “She couldn’t be here today, and while I was frustrated, being a manager, my wife, being who she always is, said to me, ‘She needs this time.’ ”
Grande sent a series of emotional tweets in September
In late September, the singer got emotional in a series of tweets.
“Can i pls have one okay day. just one. pls,” wrote Grande on Sept. 27, adding “i’m so f—ing tired pls” and “jus wake me up when i’m supposed to sing or whatever. peace” minutes later.
She also resurfaced a tweet from earlier in the month. “j f—ing k,” she wrote while re-tweeting her own post from Sept. 22 assuring fans that “everything will be okay.”
Grande ended her Twitter spree by thanking her fans for their support. “ty for loving me sm i do not deserve it,” she said. When a fan expressed concern, she replied, “ur angels in my life. it’s just been a tough month. i’m trying to get my work done and get back to normal and it’s hard and i’m human and tired. sorry i let u in or worried u. i shouldn’t have tweeted. i kno better.”
RELATED: Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson Will Have a Prenup — Unlike Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin
The couple was finalizing a prenup
A source confirmed to PEOPLE last week that Davidson’s SNL comments about a prenuptial agreement weren’t just jokes. At the time, the insider said the couple were close to finalizing or had already finalized their prenuptial agreement.
The weekend before Davidson joke on SNL: “Obviously I wanted [a prenup], you know, so God forbid we split up and then she takes half my sneakers …. No look, I’m totally comfortable being with a successful woman; I think it’s dope. I live at her place. She pays like 60 grand for rent, and all I have to do is, like, stock the fridge.”
Grande didn’t attend the Emmy Awards
In mid-September a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Grande was skipping the Emmys. Davidson did not attend either, but SNL picked up multiple awards that night.
The awards show came 10 days after Miller’s death. Grande previously opened up about coping with anxiety and PTSD after a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured more than 500 in a terrorist attack at the Manchester stop of her Dangerous Woman Tour in May of 2017.
“Given the events of the past couple of years, Ariana is going to take some much-needed time to heal and mend,” her team said in a statement. “She will be staying close to home and using this period to spend time with her loved ones and work on new music without deadline. She thanks her fans for their understanding.”
Davidson was spotted comforting a crying Grande
The same day that Grande’s Emmy Awards’ absence was confirmed, the “God Is a Woman” singer appeared emotional while strolling through Manhattan with her then-fiancé. Wearing thigh-high boots and an oversized sweatshirt, Grande held tight to him as he planted a kiss on her head.