Twitter/IBI Designs Edward Butera, Ariana Grande's father.
Edward Butera is the father of Ariana Grande but the two were reportedly not very close as she was growing up. 60-year-old Butera and Grande’s mother, Joan, divorced when the singer was 8 years old.
Grande alluded to the divorce in her song “Thank U, Next.” It includes the lyric, “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.”
Grande talked about the strained relationship with her father in an interview with Seventeen in 2014. She told the magazine, “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.”
But Butera and Grande have apparently been working to mend the fractured relationship. Fans noticed that Grande shared a photo to her Instagram story that showed she was on chatting on FaceTime with her father on Christmas Day.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Edward Butera is a Graphic Designer & Runs His Own Company in Boca Raton, Florida
Edward Butera is the founder and president of a graphic design company called IBI Designs. The business is based in Boca Raton, Florida. It was founded in 1990.
On the website, Butera describes the business as being “composed of a small group of graphic designers, web designers, professional photographers, and recently added – videographers, all contributors having a special passion for their craft.”
According to the website, IBI Designs has partnered with companies including Lemongrass Asian Bistro, The Place For Kitchens and Baths, and Bridget Ray Interiors.
Butera received rave reviews from two former coworkers on Linkedin. Bobby Glennon praised Butera as one of the “hardest working people I know” with an “attention to detail, creative genius and ability to see what others don’t.” Matthew Desrosiers described Butera as a “highly skilled artist” who “places his employees first, a value that is under-appreciated in today’s ruthless markets.”
2. Butera Earned a Degree at the New York Institute of Technology
Edward Butera studied in New York before relocating to Florida. According to his Linkedin profile, Butera earned a bachelor’s in fine arts from the New York Institute of Technology. He focused on architecture, advertising, and graphic design.
After graduating in 1981, Butera worked for Ecoplan Architects. He was a vice president of art direction. Butera stayed at the company for eight years, but it’s unclear where he was based at the time. Butera’s Linkedin page does not indicate a location. According to its website, Ecoplan has offices in Florida and the northeast.
3. Butera Shares Many Photos From Fishing Trips & of His Dog
Ed Butera appears to take full advantage of his location near the Atlantic ocean and reportedly lives close to the water. He shares many photos on Twitter from fishing trips.
An online search of records indicates Butera lives in a 2-bedroom condo with ocean front views. According to Zillow, the condo was listed for $385,000 and has 1,535 square feet.
Butera’s Twitter account also indicates just how much he loves his dog, Sunny. He has shared multiple pictures of her.
Butera probably ignores a lot of messages on social media. In the comments of his Twitter photos, many fake Ariana Grande accounts have posted “hi daddy” and “I miss you daddy” messages.
4. Edward Butera Posted About How Proud He Was of His Daughter Before Their Falling Out
Based on the interview Grande gave in 2014 to Seventeen magazine, we know that she and her father had some sort of falling out in 2013. When asked what was the hardest thing she has ever had to deal with, Grande’s answer was: “Falling out of touch with my dad. It’s private, but it happened last year.” She has never shared specific details about what caused she and Butera to stop speaking.
Butera has not posted to Instagram since 2013. But he shared an image on September 24, 2013, of him and Grande together. The caption read, “Throw back :) So proud of my little girl.”
There are several fake Instagram accounts claiming to be Edward Butera. This account appears to be the real one. The profile name matches his Twitter account, which links to his business and includes older family photos.
5. Grande & Butera Took Steps to Reconnect With Social Media Messages
It’s unclear exactly when Ed Butera and Ariana Grande began talking again after their fall out. He posted the above photo of the two of them together in December 2016 but did not indicate when the photo was actually taken. It also did not include a caption.
In June 2017, Grande posted a photo to her Instagram page of her and her father when she was a baby. She wrote, “♡ Happy Father’s Day ♡ ? I love you.”
A few days later, Butera reached out to his daughter on her 24th birthday. He shared a photo on Twitter of the two of them, writing the simple message, “Happy Birthday Ariana…love Daddy.”
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