Everything Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson’s Whirlwind Romance Gave Us–Including “BDE”

And for Pete and Ariana’s romance, we’re so thankful…

Following a whirlwind summer romance and engagement, Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson announced their breakup on Oct. 14, 2018. Yes, the Earth has rotated around the sun 365 times since the infamous couple called off their engagement, which happened less than one month after they officially began dating. But for that brief period of time, from May through October, the public could not get enough of the singer and the comedian’s relationship. Every tattoo was documented (and then later covered up). Every Snapchat was archived. Every outing was photographed. Every interview with Pete included a bite from him about how damn lucky he was.

“I’m still convinced she’s blind or hit her head really hard,” Davidson cracked in an interview with Variety. “Something is going to happen, and she’s going to be like, ‘What the f–k is this thing doing around?’ For right now, it’s rocking.”

Until, you know, it wasn’t rocking just two months later. While their love ultimately wasn’t built to last, their relationship’s legacy has lived on, with Ariana and Pete gifting us with a few substantial pop culture moments that have proved to withstand the cruel hands of time. 

“BDE”: Arguably the biggest contribution any celebrity couple has made in recent memory is the introduction of “BDE” aka “Big D–k Energy” to the masses, with the term taking over social media after Ariana tweeted (and then deleted) a message about the size of her then-fiance’s penis.

After the screenshot of her tweet when viral, “BDE” came into play thanks to Twitter user @babyvietcong, who wrote, “Pete davidson is 6’3 with dark circles, exudes big d–k energy, looks evil but apparently is an angel, and loves his girl publicly the only thing wrong w him is that he’s a scorpio but anyway…..id married him within a month too.”

And like that, a meme was born, with debates raging on about which celebs have “BDE” (Rihanna? For sure has BDE) and which, sadly, were not gifted with the energy. Vox did an explainer article, basically boiling it down to “BDE” meaning you are confident without being cocky, a trait Pete displayed throughout his romance with the “NASA” singer by being just as amazed as the public that he was able to land her. 

I feel like I won a contest,” the comedian told Jimmy Fallon pre-split. “It’s fucking lit, Jimmy. It’s so funny walking down the street, because dudes are walking by and they [tip their hats at me].

See? BDE. 

“thank u, next”: OK sure, Ariana name-checks almost all her famous exes in the now iconic breakup anthem, but there’s no denying that her split from Pete, for whom she’s so thankful, was the initial inspiration for the 2018 hit. (Also, we’re so thankful for the video inspired by all of Ari’s favorite rom-coms—including Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30 and Legally Blonde.)

And there’s no denying that Thank U, Next, Ariana’s fifth studio album that came out in February 2019, definitely came out sooner rather than later in some small way because of her fleeting romance with Pete, giving us gems like “7 Rings,” “NASA” and “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored.”

“pete”: How refreshing was it to have a music artist just outright say (and name the damn song after) the person who inspired the tune? No secrets or cryptic messages here! 

Lollipops as an appropriate accessory: Niche? Yes. But after the pair was photographed out and about in NYC, with Ariana enjoying a sweet treat while hungrily eyeing her beau, yet another Internet meme was born. 

SNL makes headlines: Listen, we all know Saturday Night Live can go through slumps. But Pete’s high-profile new romance became a unexpected featured player on the longrunning NBC sketch series in 2018, with viewers constantly wondering how the star would bring it up during Weekend Update. And the references kept on comin’ after the split, with Lorne Michaels clearly knowing Pete and Ari, together or apart, were good for business…at least for a little bit. 

For more memories from the couple’s five-month relationship that took pop culture by storm, look back on Ari and Pete’s whirlwind romance…