In the past, Ariana Grande has opened up about the distant relationship she maintains with her father. In 2014, she admitted that at the time, "falling out of touch with [her] dad" was the toughest thing she'd ever had to deal with. However, it appears as though Grande's father, Edward Butera, is not totally estranged from the singer's life. Grande posted an Instagram story of the two FaceTiming on Christmas Day.
Although Grande didn't elaborate on the nature of their conversation, her dad appears in the photo smiling, and her phone is perched in front of the Christmas tree.
Their conversation comes just a few weeks after Grande briefly mentioned her father in her hit song "Thank U, Next," singing, "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."
During an interview with Seventeen, Grande explained the fallout she and Butera experienced and the emotional effect it had on her. "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. 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."
Butera, a Florida-based graphic designer, and Ariana's mother Joan separated when the singer was eight years old. Despite their distant relationship, Grande has shared photos on social media of her father in the past, captioning last year's Father's Day post with "Happy Father's Day I love you."
2018 has been a very tumultuous year for the 25-year-old singer. During her speech at the Billboard’s Women in Music event, the Sweetener artist spoke of the great professional successes she experienced, while also referring to this year being one of the “worst of her life.” While holding back tears, Grande spoke of the loss of her late-ex boyfriend Mac Miller, and her turbulent relationship with ex-fianceé Pete Davidson.
"I really have no idea what the fuck I’m doing so yeah, it’s been a very conflicting one," she said. "I just want to say if you’re someone out there who has no idea what this next chapter’s gonna bring, you’re not alone in that."
