Ariana Grande revealed that when her father (Edward Butera) saw Ari using his name in the credits of Wicked, Ari also… see more

In an emotional interview with Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner, the 31-year-old singer and actress opened up about her decision to use her full name, Ariana Grande Butera, as a reflection of her reconnection with her father, Edward Butera, after years of estrangement.

“That was my name when I first saw Wicked [on Broadway],” Grande said through tears around the 2:48 mark in the video linked above. “Not to sound like a broken record, but I do feel like this role in this project helped me sort of come home to little Ari and maybe little pieces of her got lost along the way in this crazy industry.

And I am so grateful for the ways in which this experience led me back.