On November 1st, a promo for the upcoming Saturday Night Live episode was released. The promo featured guest host Jonah Hill, musical guest Maggie Rogers, and SNL cast member Pete Davidson. At the end of the short promo, Davidson alluded to his recent failed relationship with chart-topping pop singer Ariana Grande by asking Rogers if she’d like to get married. When she says no, Davidson replies “0 for 3.”
Shortly after the promo ran, Grande tweeted “for somebody who claims to hate relevancy u sure love clinging to it huh” followed by a tweet reading “thank u, next.” She then quoted a tweet that read: “tag yourself i’m maggie.” These tweets have since been deleted, but Grande was not quite finished responding to the situation yet.
Saturday, Grande dropped her newest single titled “thank u, next” a half hour before the episode of Saturday Night Live aired. The song references Davidson, in addition to her other famous exes. Prior to the release, Grande stated that the song was not a diss track, and kept the tune positive and reflective on her past relationships including lines like “even almost got married, and for Pete I’m so thankful.”
During the actual episode of Saturday Night Live, Davidson also remained positive about the abruptly ended engagement. On the ‘Weekend Update’ segment of the show, Pete addressed the breakup by stating: “I know some of you are curious about the breakup, but the truth is, it’s nobody’s business,” he told viewers. “Sometimes things just don’t work out, and that’s OK. She’s a wonderful, strong person, and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world.”
Grande’s “thank u, next” is brutally honest and makes it clear that she is moving on while also taking time to figure herself out. This song is clearly a smash and we can’t wait for the next album!