Remember That Time Naya Rivera Suggested Ariana Grande Was a Homewrecker Over Big Sean?

Ariana Grande has been making headlines over speculation that her romance with Ethan Slater has ended. One of her former loves is also apparently back on the dating market. Big Sean and Jhene Aiko have apparently decided to split. For those who don’t remember, Big Sean and Ariana Grande had a short-lived relationship more than a decade ago. Their whirlwind love affair made headlines, but mostly because of how it all began. Do you remember when the late actor, Naya Rivera, basically called Ariana Grande a homewrecker over Big Sean? Let’s revisit the drama.

Naya Rivera called Ariana Grande out in her memoir

Ariana Grande has a reputation for showing interest in already attached men. It’s how her relationship with several of her suitors, including Ethan Slater, seemed to start. The more it happens, the harder it is to deny the allegations, but more than a decade ago, there was some plausible deniability. That didn’t stop people from calling out the “Thank U, Next” singer. Naya Rivera, who died in 2020 in a tragic drowning accident, called out the pop star once.

Before her death at the age of 33, Rivera penned a memoir. Published in 2016, Sorry Not Sorry takes fans on a journey through Rivera’s acting career and her personal life. She spoke candidly about her romance with Big Sean. In the book, she recalled feeling insecure about the romance and showing up at the rapper’s home unannounced, only to find Grande there hanging out. She wrote, “I walk in, go downstairs, and guess what little girl is sitting cross-legged on the couch listening to music?” She went on to identify Grande.

The wording doesn’t explicitly call Grande a homewrecker, but the context in which it is written certainly implies it. While it was far from the sole reason, nor did anyone confirm infidelity, the way it is written makes it clear that Rivera, at least somewhat suspected, that Big Sean and Ariana Grande were hooking up before her relationship with the “Bounce Back” rapper ended in April 2014.

Naya Rivera did make a clarifying statement

Naya Rivera did circle back and insist she wasn’t confirming that Big Sean cheated on her with Ariana Grande. She insisted that when she discussed the situation in her memoir, she only intended to show readers how insecure she felt in the romance, and that she did not intend to call out Grande, yet again, for what turned out to be water under the bridge. Big Sean denied the cheating allegations at the time of his split from Rivera, and Grande opted to stay quiet. Still, you can’t really help but notice how effortlessly the two seemed to roll into a relationship.

The timeframe around his relationship with Rivera ending and his public relationship with Ariana Grande is pretty tight. Big Sean and Rivera called off their engagement in April 2014, around the time Rivera allegedly walked into Big Sean’s house to find Ariana Grande hanging out. Big Sean and Ariana Grande were first spotted holding hands in August 2014, but only acknowledged the romance in October 2014. Fans have long speculated that the duo had been together for a few months by the time they were spotted holding hands, meaning they made things official right around the time Rivera and Big Sean’s engagement ended.

Big Sean’s relationship timelines

Big Sean’s relationships with both Naya Rivera and Ariana Grande happened years ago. He began dating Rivera in April 2013. The couple, who were in their mid-20s at the time, announced their engagement just months later. They called off the engagement in April 2014.

In August 2014, Big Sean and Ariana Grande were spotted together at the Video Music Awards. She confirmed her connection to him during an October 2014 interview with The Telegraph, calling him “one of the most amazing men in the whole world.” It didn’t last long; by April 2015, Grande and Big Sean were over.

The following year, Big Sean met Jhené Aiko while collaborating on music. The pair began quietly dating, and while they’ve had off-and-on spells, they always seem to find their way back to each other. Media Takeout, however, has learned that it is the end of the road for Big Sean and Aiko. An insider told the publication that Aiko grew tired of waiting for Big Sean to propose and ended the relationship. The couple has dated, on and off, for nine years without getting engaged. They share one child.