SpongeBob SquarePants voice actor's wife clarifies he's not the one dating Ariana Grande

As reported last week, Ariana Grande does appear to be dating a SpongeBob SquarePants actor — but not the original. Following her split from husband Dalton Gomez after a two-year marriage, Grande is reportedly dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater. She plays Glinda in the film, while Slater plays Boq.

Slater did originate the title role in the SpongeBob SquarePants Broadway musical, even earning a Tony nomination for his performance. But he didn't voice the character in the classic animated series — since he was born in 1992 and the show started airing in 1999. Still, some people online have gotten confused, thanks to headlines like The Cut's: "Is Ariana Grande Dating Spongebob Now?" Many commenters, undoubtedly more familiar with the cartoon than the musical, assumed this referred to the original voice actor, comedian Tom Kenny. Not so!

Voice actor Jill Talley attempted to set the record straight on Instagram. In a since-deleted message (screenshotted by TMZ), Talley wrote, "Hi everyone, I'm married to Tom Kenny (who voices SpongeBob on the TV show). He is not dating Ariana Grande. I don't know if Ethan Slater (who played SpongeBob in the musical) is or isn't dating Ariana Grande. However, they're both adorable and I totally ship it. Just wanted to set the record straight."

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Nickelodeon / Courtesy Everett Collection Ariana Grande is NOT dating 'SpongeBob SquarePants' voice actor Tom Kenny.

Talley's own Instagram feed is full of posts celebrating her husband, such as one marking their 27th anniversary. Talley also worked on SpongeBob SquarePants as the voice of Karen, the computer wife of Plankton. She and Kenny also worked together back in the day on Mr. Show with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross.

You can see them both above, in EW's video interview with the SpongeBob SquarePants voice cast from last year's San Diego Comic-Con.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Ariana Grande is reportedly dating Wicked costar Ethan Slater after her split from Dalton Gomez

• Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez reportedly separate after 2 years of marriage

• An oral history of SpongeBob SquarePants