Ariana Grande dropped a surprise new song, “thank u, next” — which is an anthem of appreciation for all of her ex-boyfriends and an acknowledgement that she’s fully moved on — just 30 minutes before her most recent ex, Pete Davidson, was set to appear on Saturday Night Live.
The song’s title is a reference to Ariana’s Twitter response to a joke Pete made in this week’s SNL promo. In a clip, Pete made light of his quick engagement to Ariana by asking musical guest Maggie Rogers if she wants to get married.
ɢᴇᴛ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ!@JonahHill hosts #SNL this week with musical guest @maggierogers! pic.twitter.com/RBtFmaAYth
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) November 1, 2018
The joke didn’t seem to sit well with Ariana, as she quickly began tweeting things like “hell nah tho, “for someone who claims to hate relevancy u sure long clinging to it huh,” and of course, “thank you, next.”
On SNL, Pete actually ended up addressing his split from Ariana during a Weekend Update segment. “The truth is, it’s nobody’s business, and sometimes things just don’t work out and that’s okay,” he said. “She’s a wonderful, strong person and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world.”
More from Pete on Update. #SNL pic.twitter.com/jbyMFtzQEh
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) November 4, 2018
But Pete isn’t the only ex Ariana addresses in the song. The track opens with: “Thought I’d end up with Sean / But he wasn’t a match / Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh / Even almost got married / And for Pete, I’m so thankful / Wish I could say ‘thank you’ to Malcolm / ‘Cause he was an angel” — referencing Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Pete, and Mac Miller, respectively.
“One taught me love / One taught me patience / And one taught me pain / Now I’m so amazing / I’ve loved and I’ve lost / But that’s not what I see / So look what I got / Look what you taught me,” Ariana sings. “Thank you, next / Thank you, next / Thank you, next / I’m so f—kin’ grateful for my ex.”
Ariana said on Saturday that “thank u, next” will also be the name of her next album.