Ariana Grande's Sweet Father's Day Post Signals They're No Longer Estranged

Ariana Grande is busy slaying on her Sweetener tour, but that doesn't mean she's too busy to participate in national holidays. Fans tuned in to the "Thank U Next" star's social media feeds when Father's Day rolled around, wondering if and how she would give her dad a shout out. That's because Grande and her father, Edward Butera, were formerly estranged for some time. Somewhat surprisingly, Ariana Grande's Father's Day post included a rare photo with Butera, and even included a sweet caption. Obviously, fans were loving it.

This year, the holiday fell on Sunday, June 16, which happened to be an "off" day for the singer. She was busy somewhere relaxing in New York City in between her Barclay's Center and Madison Square Garden shows. During that time, she dug up a photo of herself and her dad from her June 1 concert outside the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. In the picture, Grande is giving the camera a giant kissy face and Butera is all smiles. They're also arm-in-arm.

Grande originally shared the photo around the time it was taken and gave it a simple exclamation point caption. She then re-shared the photo to her stories on Father's Day with the small word "foreva" types out on the side.

Grande's relationship with her father was brought to the foreground when she included lyrics about him in her hit, "Thank U, Next." In the smash, Grande sings the words, "One day I'll walk down the aisle / Holding hands with my mama / I'll be thanking my dad / 'Cause she grew from the drama."

According to reports, Grande's mother Joan and Butera officially split when Ari was about eight years old. In 2014, Grande opened up to Seventeen magazine about the falling out with her dad, saying it was "the toughest thing she has ever had to deal with." She explained: "It took me so long to be okay with it. The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him." Grande also added,

So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn't like that about myself. I had to accept that it's okay not to get along with somebody and still love them.

Years later in 2017, Butera popped up in — coincidentally — a Father's Day post. That year, Grande shared a throwback photo of herself as a baby in her dad's arms. She captioned that photo, "♡ Happy Father's Day ♡ 😌 I love you."

Today, it looks like the two have made even more strides to strengthen their relationship. After Butera attended Grande's Florida concert, he tweeted, "What a great show, very proud of you and hope you get to rest," and, "Had such a great time at the show, thank you everyone."

He also shared some snapshots from backstage.

At the end of the day, Arianators are happy to see their Queen connecting with her dad.

Happy belated Father's Day, Ed. Can I call you Ed?