All About Ariana Grande’s Brother Frankie Grande — and How Their Wicked Journey Started Together!
Frankie was born on Jan. 24, 1983, in New York City and grew up in Englewood, N.J., before his family moved to Boca Raton, Fla., when he was 10 years old. At the time, his mother, Joan, remarried to Ariana’s dad, Ed Butera, and the two welcomed the pop star on June 26, 1993.
Though both stars have since moved out of Florida, with Frankie splitting his time between N.Y.C. and Los Angeles, they still frequently return to their hometown where their grandma, Marjorie Grande, still lives.
In November 2024, the brother-sister duo made one of their trips back to Boca Raton to watch Ariana’s movie, Wicked, with their “nonna” in the theater they grew up going to.
Frankie is an actor, singer, social media personality and producer
Frankie married fellow performer Hale Leon on May 4, 2022, in a small, Star Wars-themed ceremony held at the Grande family home in Boca Raton, Fla., and officiated by Joan.
“We then followed our wedding with a joint bachelor party weekend of games with some friends and family and are currently on our mini-moon before I have to head to rehearsal for my upcoming show Titanique,” Frankie wrote on Instagram after the nuptials. “And this is only the beginning of the celebrations as we are having a Wedding Ball with all our friends in the upcoming months!”
The performer told PEOPLE nearly a year later that his life “is completely free of anxiety” now that he was married, explaining that he felt “so wonderful and supported.”
“I know it’s so cheesy, but it really is about compromise and putting yourself in each other’s shoes,” he said. “When we have an argument or a difficult situation, if I just come at it from where he’s coming from, and he comes at it where I’m coming from, we resolve it very, very quickly.”
Ariana and Frankie have collaborated on his YouTube channel
Ariana and Frankie have collaborated on several occasions, mostly in joint appearances on Frankie’s YouTube channel. The two have made a variety of videos, including comedic sketches, vlog-style content, Q&A videos and song covers. In December 2018, they covered “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent; Frankie took the lead vocals while Ariana harmonized and produced the vocal tracks.
“I am beyond honored to have worked on this incredible project with my best friends in the world including my wonderful sister,” Frankie wrote in the video description. “Thank you Ariana for vocal producing as well as adding your magical voice to this beautiful song.”
In a December 2019 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Frankie noted that he and Ariana were still “very much in [their] own lanes” but really enjoy working together. He called their “Seasons of Love” collaboration “beautiful.” “Whether or not something like [another collaboration] happens in the future, I’m sure it will,” he said.
Ariana has supported Frankie in his sobriety
Ariana’s family couldn’t be more proud of the talented singer. In November 2021, when she booked the role of Glinda in the two-part film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, Frankie shed happy tears for his sister.
“I remember when she told me that she booked it, we just both burst into tears together,” he recalled to E! News in March 2023. “Because it was something that she had been dreaming of her entire life.”
After the movie’s November 2024 premiere, Frankie shared an outpouring of love and pride for his younger sister, reflecting on Instagram how he first introduced the musical to Ariana when she was a child.
“From the moment I came home from college and told you about this new musical called Wicked, after seeing it in previews, to us running backstage with Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel when you were 10 years old at the Gershwin theatre,” he wrote. “I am so happy, excited, and overjoyed to say that you are Glinda the good. I am so proud of you and I love you so much.”
