Ariana Grande has gone from tween Broadway performer to Nickelodeon actress to pop sensation. But as her fame has grown, so have rumors of rude and bizarre diva behavior.

In the most recent (and weirdest) incident to date, she was caught on surveillance footage licking doughnuts she wasn’t going to buy and saying she hates America. How did Ariana Grande end up with the reputation she has today? A look back:

April 2009: Ariana signs on to play the role of Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s Victorious, about a performing arts high school. She also joins Twitter.

March 2010: The first episode of Victorious premieres on March 27.

June 2010: In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, Ariana said the best part of her career — aside from acting and singing — is that she gets to be a good role model for the kids who look up to her.

August 2012: Victorious is canceled after just three seasons. Ariana is cast in the spin-off series Sam & Cat with fellow Nickelodeon actress Jennette McCurdy.

February 2013: In response to a fan saying Cat & Sam was the reason Victorious ended, Ariana allegedly posts a statement from her ask.fm account: “Sweetheart the only reason Victorious ended is because 1 girl didn’t want to do it. She chose to do a solo tour instead of a cast tour.

If we had done a cast tour Nickelodeon would have ordered another season of Victorious while Sam and Cat filmed simultaneously but she chose otherwise. I’m sick of this bs.”

Victoria Justice allegedly responds over Twitter, saying, “Some people would throw some1 they consider a friend under the bus just 2 make themselves look good. #StopBeingAPhony #IfTheyOnlyKnew.”

The comments are both deleted shortly thereafter.

June 2013: Ariana is featured in the August issue of Seventeen magazine, where she cryptically reveals past on-set drama. “I worked with someone who told me they’d never like me,” she said. “But for some reason, I just felt like I needed her approval. So I started changing myself to please her. It made me stop being social and friendly. I was so unhappy.”

Though Ariana doesn’t give specifics, some question if she is referencing her time on Victorious. To end the speculation, Ariana releases an exclusive statement to Seventeen clarifying that her comments were reflective of a different work experience — not Victorious.

July 2013: Ariana’s Seventeen signing is cut short. Some sources report it was because Victorious fans showed up and insulted Ariana, causing her to cry. Another source said fans only insulted Ariana after she left them waiting in line to meet her. Ariana responds on Twitter saying she was told to leave because the event was becoming a safety hazard.

August 2013: Ariana posts a picture of Justin Bieber kissing her on the cheek to Twitter.

After overwhelming outrage from Justin’s fans, she deletes the photo and tweets about how people needed to “chill out” and that she’s a “lady” (she is still dating Jai Brooks at the time).

Later that month, Us Weekly reports that Ariana, who had only just broken up with Jai, is dating the Wanted’s Nathan Sykes.

October 2013: Jai releases a lengthy statement on Twitter saying that Ariana cheated on him and left him for Nathan Sykes. Ariana responds to the accusations over Twitter.

January 2014: At the 2014 Grammys, Ariana allegedly breaks down on the red carpet after reading mean comments about her dress and signature hairstyle on Twitter.

Only a few days before the Grammys incident, she had posted a lengthy Instagram — which has since been removed — defending her hair, explaining that she had to bleach it every day for TV, and that it’s extremely damaged and looks “absolutely ratchet and absurd” when it’s let down.

February 2014: Perez Hilton posts tweets claiming Ariana did c.o.c.a.i.n.e at a party, even going so far as to tweet at Nickelodeon. Ariana reportedly hires lawyers to sue Hilton for slander.

April 2014: Reports emerge that Nickelodeon’s show Sam & Cat may not return for a second season after an “unusually long production cycle” and possible on-set drama between Ariana and co-star Jennette McCurdy due to differences in salary. Ariana addresses the rumors on Twitlonger.

May 2014: Ariana is seen kissing ex-boyfriend Jai Brooks backstage at the iHeart Radio Music awards. (She had already broken up with Nathan Sykes.)

July 2014: Nickelodeon announces the cancellation of Sam & Cat.

August 2014: Ariana and rapper Big Sean are seen holding hands backstage at MTV’s VMAs, confirming rumors they are dating.

That same month, a fan claims Ariana made her cry during a meet-and-greet, saying Ariana rushed through the whole thing and walked away without saying good-bye.

Ariana reportedly gives an explanation in a Twitter DM, saying she walked away because she’d been handed a photo of her with her grandfather, and she didn’t want fans to see her cry.

Finally, she tells Billboard that her mom thought she would grow up to be a serial killer and that she was “a very weird little girl.”

September 2014: Rumors begin circulating in earnest about Ariana’s alleged “diva” behavior. Page Six runs an article with the headline, “Even Ariana Grande’s Life Coach Can’t Work With Her,” reporting that Ariana’s life coach quit because of her poor attitude. The Daily News reports she said she wanted fans to “all fucking die,” after an interview with a radio station.

“She did autographs and pics and was all smiles until she got into the elevator,” a source told the paper. “And as soon as the doors shut she said, ‘I hope they all fucking die.'” Sources also claim Ariana had ridiculous demands during a photo shoot in Sydney, Australia, and that she stormed off the set when her demands weren’t met.

Ariana addresses the shoot rumors in a radio interview with Australia’s The Edge 96, saying she left the photo shoot to change her outfit and the photographer said “ridiculous, untrue things” about her. She later tells Entertainment Tonight, “If any of the things they were saying were true I wouldn’t mind it.” And she tweets this:

That same month, Giuliana Rancic discusses Ariana’s allegedly impolite behavior at the AMAs in a segment for E! News.

“I think [Ariana] does have a little bit of a diva thing going on,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s just part of the image she wants out there, like, ‘I’m a young Mariah [Carey], I’m a diva.’ Because I remember, I think it was at the [American Music Awards], she came up on the platform, and normally I stand on this side [her left side] to the camera. I had to fight 13 years to get this side to the camera, it’s my good side, but I fought 13 years for this, OK? Little Ariana comes over, I feel, like, BING, elbow in my side, I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ and they push me to the other side. So I had to be on my ugly side.”

October 2014: Jessie J, who collaborated with Ariana on “Bang Bang,” comes to Ariana’s defense, telling Us Weekly that Ariana isn’t a diva; she just knows “what she wants.”

December 2014: Ariana performs at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and a picture of her getting hit by a Victoria’s Secret Angel’s wings goes viral.

Life & Style reports that Ariana demands to be carried when she doesn’t feel like walking. Big Sean addresses those rumors in an interview with Charlamagne tha God on The Breakfast Club, saying, “That don’t even sound logical. No, man, she don’t get carried. I remember I was with her one time and she got carried but it was ’cause her foot was bleeding. She busted her foot, you know, dancing and stuff.” He also adds, “That’s ridiculous.”

February 2015: Big Sean and Ariana attend the Grammys together.

Australian band SAFIA accuse Ariana of plagiarizing her music video “One Last Time.” The band backs off after Ariana’s video director Max Landis responds to the accusations in a number of tweets.

April 2015: Ariana and Big Sean break up after dating for eight months. Some speculate the split had something to do with Ariana and Justin Bieber’s onstage hug during a performance.

A screenshot of an alleged tweet from Big Sean circulates online after the hug, though Big Sean claims the tweet was fake.

June 2015: Ariana tweets this feminist manifesto in response to constant focus on her past relationship with Big Sean.

July 2015: Security footage leaks of Ariana licking doughnuts at a doughnut shop and saying she hates America.

Ariana releases a statement apologizing for her comments about America, although she does not explain why she licked the doughnuts.
She backs out of performing at the MLB All-Star concert, claiming she is recovering from oral surgery.

Update 7/10, 9 a.m.: Ariana issues another apology over YouTube.

2018: Ariana and Mac Miller dated for two years before parting ways in May 2018. Later, she jumped into Pete Davidson. Who can forget the whirlwind relationship that was Pete and Ari? The matching tattoos! The Starbucks cups! The lollipops! This!

After Mac’s tragic death in September 2018, Ariana told Vogue in 2019 that “by no means was what we had perfect. He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming…less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.”

2020-2023: Ariana and Dalton got together (and then got married) right around the COVID-19 pandemic, which means they had several years of just the two of them. And for a while, things were great! But the couple split up in July 2023—with sources saying distance (at the time, Ariana had been in England filming Wicked) played a big part. On September 18, 2023, however, the couple officially filed for divorce, so stay tuned for how it all shakes out!

And then, to the shock of many/all, TMZ reported that Ariana was dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater shortly after her split from Dalton Gomez went public. According to Us Weekly, Ariana and Ethan got together after Ethan broke things off with his wife Lilly and after Ariana ended things with Dalton. A source at the time explained, “Ariana and Ethan are dating.

However, things are fairly new. Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife. Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other but they have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other’s company.”

The more you know!