Spousal Support And Miscellaneous Jewelry: Inside Ariana Grande's Divorce Requests
Ariana Grande's not exactly hurting for money. So why is she asking so much of Dalton Gomez?
Tinseltown / Shutterstock; @arianagrande / Instagram, MLS As one of today's reigning pop queens, Ariana Grande, 30, isn't exactly hurting for money. So the recently revealed details of her divorce from her husband of two years, Los Angeles real estate broker Dalton Gomez, has definitely raised some eyebrows.
Ariana Grande's divorce requests include spousal support, despite her high net worth.
Grande all but broke the internet earlier this year when her relationship with Ethan Slater, her costar in the forthcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Wicked," was revealed in July 2023.
Given that both Grande and Slater were married at the time — Slater had been with his wife and mother to his one-year-old son, Lilly Jay, for 11 years and married for five prior to taking up with Grande — divorce proceedings have quickly ensued, with Grande officially filing for divorce on September 18, 2023.
Grande's status as a global icon and leading lady in the forthcoming film adaptation of "Wicked" makes it easy to forget that Grande began her career as a child star way back in 2008 when she appeared in the Broadway musical "13" at just 15 years old.
Fifteen years in the Hollywood spotlight will definitely rake in some cash, and Grande is certainly no exception. Her net worth is said to be around $240 million, with rumored paydays of $20-$25 million just for her work on TV's "The Voice" alone.
And with the combined budget of both parts of the "Wicked" adaptation rumored to be as much as $310 million, she has surely come into even more money recently. So why is she asking for spousal support from her soon-to-be ex-husband?
Ariana Grande's divorce requests, including spousal support, stem from the prenuptial agreement between her Dalton Gomez.
She may not need the money, but when Grande and Gomez decided to tie the knot back in 2021, they did what most Hollywood celebrities do before their wedding and signed a prenuptial agreement laying out exactly what would happen financially if their marriage ever ended.
According to Grande's filing, she is requesting that the Los Angeles court handling the divorce honor the details of she and Gomez's prenup, which includes a provision for spousal support for Grande.
Gomez did not request spousal support, however, and the filings indicate he has chosen to allow the court system to decide what he is entitled to.
Grande has also requested that she and Gomez's prenuptial agreement be honored in regards to personal property, including "miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects," and has requested that earnings accumulated before and during their marriage be considered separate property.
There is speculation that Grande will still have to pay Gomez some money as part of their divorce, however.
Ariana Grande's divorce requests also include that her attorney fees be paid as part of their forthcoming divorce settlement. Taken all together, it may seem like Grande is walking away with quite a heap of money taken from her soon-to-be ex.
But it is also believed that part of the divorce settlement will include some kind of payout to Gomez as well.
According to TMZ, sources close to the situation say that despite their prenuptial agreement, Grande will end up cutting Gomez a check, which some fans have speculated may be due to the prenuptial agreement including an infidelity clause that has taken effect because of Grande's relationship with Slater.
However, the pair are said to be divorcing amicably, and there's reason to believe her relationship with Slater isn't what caused Grande and Gomez's divorce. Both Grande and Gomez stated in their legal filings that their separation occurred on February 20, 2023, long before Grande and Slater were known to be dating.
And anonymous sources close to the couple have said that it was the long-distance nature of Grande and Gomez's relationship, particularly once Grande decamped to the United Kingdom to film "Wicked," that put their marriage on the rocks, not her relationship with Slater.
Either way, the long delay between their February 2023 separation and September 2023 divorce filing is said to have allowed them to calmly and respectfully hammer out the details. According to TMZ's source, Grande and Gomez have been "really caring and respectful of one another every step of this process."
Here's hoping Slater and Jay's much more complicated divorce, filed in July 2023, can go as smoothly.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.