Was Frankie Grande in a throuple? Ariana Grande's brother has opened up about his past relationship

Ariana Grande's elder brother and only sibling, Frankie Grande, first came out as gay when he was just 11 years old. However, in adulthood, the TV personality dated a married couple before 2020 - Mike Pophis, a doctor, and Daniel Sonasohn, a lawyer.

Talking to Access Live in 2018 about the details of his throuple relationship, Frankie shared that he had been single for nine years before entering the romantic arrangement. The following year, after getting out of the relationship, he called it an "interesting experience," the US Weekly reported.

Following Frankie's throuple relationship, he married Hale Leon - an American actor, influencer, and model, in 2022. Leon is both a brother-in-law and a friend to Ariana Grande.

---

Ariana Grande was supportive of Frankie's revelation about being gay

Getting into the details of his relationship with the married couple in 2018, Frankie Grande shared with Access Live how he met Daniel and Mike at a charity gala that he was hosting.

"I’d been single for 9 years, so I was very open to the possibilities of what love looks like, or what love could be, and it just happened. We met each other, we had common interests and we started dating," he added.

Frankie further talked about the relationship being his first one in sobriety.

"It’s also my first relationship in sobriety, which is a lot of things. [I’ve been sober for] 17 months and 2 days, so I’m very excited about that. It feels like I’m a brand new person again," he said.

When asked about the nature of their relationship being an open one, Grande denied it, calling it an "ethical and committed non-monogamy" instead.

"Everyone knows what’s going on, there’s no cheating, we’re actually in it together. I say it’s like a triangle, which is the strongest shape. There’s three people in it so we can all pick up the things and the slack. It’s great," he said.

The Big Brother alum also shared that his mother, Joan Grande, and sister, Ariana Grande, accepted his relationship, further confessing that Ari "loves them."

In the June 2018 issue of Gay Times, Frankie Grande admitted how he was "so nervous" to tell Ariana Grande about his s*xuality. Despite his hesitance, the conversation went swimmingly.

"I remember being so nervous to tell my little sister. I was like, ‘I have something to tell you… I’m gay’, and she was like, ‘Cool, do you have a boyfriend?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah’, she was like, ‘Great, when do I get to meet him?’" he recalled.

The revelation was a little more challenging with his mother. Grande shared how Joan was raised in a different time "where being gay was very unaccepted."

Having lost many of her own friends to AIDS, she was even more concerned about her son being able to lead a happy, healthy lifestyle. Frankie concluded the experience, saying:

"She accepted me for everything I was then, but I think through me she became more educated about the community as a whole, which I think is important for everyone when they’re coming out to their families."

---

Frankie Grande credited his throuple relationship for preparing him for marriage

Following his relationship with a married couple, Frankie Grande started dating Hale Leon in 2019. The couple dated for two years before getting engaged in 2021 and getting married in a Star Wars-themed ceremony on May 4, 2022.

Their wedding was an intimate affair that took place in their Boca Raton home, with their close friends and family, including Ariana Grande in attendance.

A couple of months after their marriage, Frankie Grande told Page Six that his former throuple relationship helped lay down the foundation of marriage for him.

“I’m very grateful for that previous relationship and I think it prepared me for this one, the ultimate one where I got my ring.”

Grande further added:

"It prepared me for being like, ‘You know what? Actually, maybe, I’m just a one-man man.’"

---

On May 4, 2024, Grande and Leon celebrated their second wedding anniversary. The couple also joined Ariana Grande in Paris for the Olympic Games. Hale - whose Instagram handle is Hale Grande - also shared pictures with Ari from the Olympics, alongside his reaction videos to the most awaited competitions taking place there.