Meet Ariana Grande’s childhood BFF, Courtney Chipolone: the ‘Twilight Zone’ singer’s pal works at R.E.M. Beauty, was in a music video with Kris Jenner, and hangs with the Wicked star and Ethan Slater

Ariana Grande transformed into a much older version of herself for her new 26-minute short film, Brighter Days Ahead. The music video was released at the end of March alongside the deluxe version of hit album Eternal Sunshine, which features new songs including “Twilight Zone” and “Past Life”. It’s been a busy 12 months for Grande, who also appeared in the award-winning musical Wicked last year. But what do we know about her personal life and friendships, away from the headlines? Meet one of Grande’s BFFs, Courtney Chipolone, who has been by her side for years. How did Courtney Chipolone and Ariana Grande meet? It’s not clear how Chipolone and Grande met, but reports suggest that they grew up together. They were first spotted with one another when they attended Courtney’s older sister’s wedding in April 2016, according to Palm Beach Post. Grande, 31, has even shown off their friendship by getting a tattoo dedicated to her bestie. The “7 Rings” songstress is said to have inked the word “Court” on her knee, as a punny tribute to her pal’s name (court-knee), notes Palm Beach Daily News. Is Courtney Chipolone Ariana Grande’s cousin? Grande and Chipolone could be related by blood, though neither have ever officially confirmed the fact, per Bustle. The Grammy award winning artist has previously referred to Chipolone as her “cousin” on Instagram, though it’s unclear if she was serious or not. In 2018, Grande shared a photo of her kissing her friend, with the caption, “Yeah, but she’s my first cousin,” in reference to a line from Amanda Seyfried’s character Karen Smith in the iconic 2000s film, Mean Girls. What does Courtney Chipolone do for work? Not only are Chipolone and Grande BFFs and possibly related – they also work together. Chipolone is currently the global brand editorial manager at R.E.M. Beauty by Ariana Grande. Before that, she worked as a medical licensing coordinator at Weatherby Healthcare and held roles as a digital brand assistant and personal wardrobe coordinator. She graduated with a degree in retail entrepreneurship from Florida State University in 2019. Which music videos has Courtney Chipolone appeared in? Chipolone has appeared in a number of Grande’s music videos over the years, including “Thank U, Next” alongside Kris Jenner, Jonathan Bennett, Jennifer Coolidge, Elizabeth Gillies and Colleen Ballinger; and “7 Rings” with Tayla Parx, Victoria Mónet, Njomza and Alexa Luria. She also confirmed that she is the Courtney name-dropped in Grande’s song “Bye”. In the lyrics, Grande sings, “So I grab my stuff, Courtney just pulled up.” Courtney Chipolone shares text message exchange with Ariana Grande regarding her mention on ‘eternal sunshine’ track titled ‘bye’: A: “can i use ur name in a song” C: “let’s GO, what rhymes with courtney” A: “nothing” pic.twitter.com/0MBTAkL2jF — Pop Base (@PopBase) March 8, 2024 Chipolone even shared the text message exchange she had with her bestie about the inclusion to her Instagram Story. Grande asks her, “Can I use your name in a song?” and she replies, “Let’s go.” Are Ariana Grande and Courtney Chipolone still friends? Although they tend to keep their friendship low-key, Chipolone did share a photo of the pair together in November 2024, which indicates that they still make time for one another despite Grande’s ultra-busy schedule. Chipolone has also shared regular birthday tributes to her pal, including one in June 2020, where she captioned the post, “Happy Birthday, pop star,” alongside a series of behind-the-scenes pics and videos of their close bond. “All hail the may queen,” she shared in another. Chipolone also joined Grande and her boyfriend Ethan Slater on one of their dates at the Stanley Cup Final last June, Billboard noted. Grande’s other confidantes include her brother Frankie Grande, Alfredo Flores, Aaron Simon Gross, and her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo.