big brother, broadway, and seven-plus years of sobriety he dates to the worst night of his sister's career.
the short answer
frankie grande is ariana grande's older half-brother — joan grande's son from a previous relationship. he is a broadway and off-broadway performer, credits including mamma mia! and titanique, and finished fifth on big brother in 2014. he has been publicly sober since 2017 and sits on the board of glaad.
his own career, which people forget
he was working in theatre before his sister was famous. mamma mia! on broadway, rock of ages, and more recently titanique off-broadway, which is the sort of long, unglamorous stage career that does not generate headlines. the reality television came later and is the thing most people know him for: he finished fifth on big brother in 2014 and became one of that season's breakout figures.
the reason she left the church
this is the most consequential fact about the two of them, and it belongs on this page as much as on his sister's. she has said she moved away from catholicism as a teenager over the church's position on gay people, and that the deciding factor was frankie. the two of them then found kabbalah together at a centre near where they grew up. the piece on her religion has the fuller account.
sobriety
he has spoken openly about drinking and drug use that escalated after the manchester attack in may 2017, about a friend's intervention during a trip to london that year, and about getting sober immediately afterwards. he dates his sobriety to 2017 and has passed seven years of it.
he has credited his sister with a substantial part of that, and has said plainly that without it he would not have the career, the family relationships, the glaad board seat, or in his own assessment his life. he talks about it publicly and often, which is the point of talking about it.
the working relationship
- he appears in her videos and at her shows, without being folded into her business.
- he has hosted, presented and performed independently throughout, including on stage during the years she was not touring.
- he sits on the board of glaad, and the advocacy is his own rather than an extension of hers.
the two careers have stayed genuinely separate, which is unusual. he is not on her payroll and she does not appear in his projects. what they share is a mother and a household, and both of them talk about that household constantly.
questions people ask
who is frankie grande?
ariana grande's older half-brother — joan grande's son from a previous relationship — and a broadway performer and television personality in his own right.
are frankie and ariana grande full siblings?
no, half-siblings. they share a mother, joan grande.
what was frankie grande on big brother?
a houseguest on the sixteenth us season, in 2014, where he finished fifth and became one of the season's breakout figures.
is frankie grande sober?
yes, since 2017. he has spoken openly about drinking and drug use that escalated after the manchester attack, and about the intervention that led to his getting sober.
why did ariana grande leave the catholic church for her brother?
she has said the church's stated position on gay people made it impossible for her to stay, and that frankie, who is gay, was the deciding factor.