How Ariana Grande Showed Support for Ethan Slater on Halloween

Just days after Ariana Grande's separation from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez, was widely reported, news broke that Grande found love again...on the set of Wicked.

Grande and her co-star Ethan Slater, who is also separated from his wife, started dating recently, as People, Entertainment Tonight, and TMZ reported on July 20, 2023. Slater and Grande's commonalities go beyond their work in Wicked, though: Both are Broadway alumni (Grande for her work in 13: The Musical, Slater for his in the Spongebob musical).

Here's what to know about Slater and his history with Grande.

Slater is a 31-year-old actor best known for playing Spongebob on Broadway, for which he earned a Tony nomination.

Slater is a Gemini and celebrated his 31st birthday on June 2; he grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended Vassar College. His most high-profile role so far was starring as Spongebob in Broadway's SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical. It was a project he was involved in for years, starting when he was just 19.

“Working on SpongeBob changed the way that I approach everything because I started working on it when I was 19, and it was seven years of development—from starting development until closing on Broadway,” he told Pop-Culturalist.com in August 2021. So it was like my full education, which is awesome. We approached it from this perspective, which came from [director] Tina [Landau], that this isn’t a show that is talking down to kids. This is a show that is funny; it’s funny, it’s visually stimulating, it’s physical humor. Kids like it because it taps into this optimism and heart; and adults like it because it taps into things they remember from their childhood. But it’s not a show that is solely designed for kids. It was meant to make us laugh while we were making it.”

Slater is playing Boq in Wicked.

Boq notably has a big crush on Grande's character Glinda in Wicked. Slater and Grande have been shooting the film adaptation in the U.K. since December. Slater's casting in Wicked was announced in December 2022.

Slater recently separated from his partner of 10 years and wife of four years, Lilly Jay. They had a son together last year.

Both Slater and Grande are newly single after being married. People reported that Slater and his wife Lilly Jay were separated after news of his dating Grande broke on July 20. Jay and Slater started dating in 2012 and got married in November 2018. They welcomed their first child, a son, in August 2022.

Slater celebrated Jay this Mother's Day on his Instagram account. He wrote, “Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world. - from me and this little guy.” Grande had liked the post.

He also posted a tribute to her in November 2022, writing, “My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet.” Grande liked that post too.

On Saturday, July 22, a source who knows Lilly told ET that the new mother is “devastated” and that “this is not the future she had in mind.”

They added, “She's doing her best to get back on her feet. She's incredibly smart and driven...she is truly the best mother.”

He made his Instagram private shortly after news broke of his and Grande's romance.

Slater had a public Instagram account when reports initially broke of his and Grande's dating. But shortly after the news stories spread, Slater went private on his Instagram. He had already limited comments on some posts beforehand.

Grande showed Slater support when he made his Instagram public again.

After filing for divorce from his wife Lilly Jay in late July and spending a month laying low, Slater returned to Instagram at the beginning of September to promote his role in Spamalot on Broadway.

Grande liked the image in a show of support that got media attention.

Slater and Grande started dating after they separated from their spouses.

A source told People, “Ariana and Dalton separated in January. She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife.”

Us Weekly received similar intel from its source: “Ariana and Ethan are dating; however things are fairly new. Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife. Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other but they have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other’s company.”

Entertainment Tonight's source also stressed that this is very recent: “Ariana and Ethan recently started dating. They have a lot in common and have a lot of fun,” the source said. “They didn't start dating until both were broken up with their significant others. Ariana and Dalton remain friends.”

TMZ, meanwhile, reported that Slater and Grande had been dating “several months ago during production” of Wicked, per its multiple sources. The insiders stressed that Slater and Grande did not start dating until after they were separated from their spouses. They were photographed sitting next to each other while celebrating Wicked co-star Michelle Yeoh's Oscar win in March.

On July 28, a source emphasized to ET that Slater and Grande started as friends, saying, “Ariana and Dalton both realized they were very different people and quietly separated earlier this year. Ariana and Ethan connected as friends first because they have a lot in common and many similar interests.”

In September, scrutiny of the situation from fans led to more gossip about their relationship timeline, which was refuted by multiple sources.

“While this entire situation has been blown out of proportion, it’s much different than what has been portrayed in public,” a friend close to the couple told People. “They are just trying to navigate their new relationship in private.”

Another source added, “They are doing their best to balance the fact that they are in the public eye with the desire to be respectful to all parties involved.”

In mid-September, a source claimed that Grande and Slater were living together in New York City. Another source said the same in October.

A source alleged to the Daily Mail in September 2023 that things had escalated between Grande and Slater, and they were living together in New York City as Slater prepares for his Spamalot role on Broadway. Neither Grande nor Slater confirmed the rumor.

On October 4, a source told Us Weekly the same. They said, “Ethan informed his friends and soon-to-be ex-wife [Lilly Jay] that he’s living with Ariana full-time in New York. They’re really happy and really good for each other. All of her friends love him.”

That same month, Grande's divorce from Gomez became official. Despite the drama, the new couple are “on the same page” and “still very excited about their relationship,” according to a source speaking with Entertainment Tonight.

“Ariana thinks Ethan is ridiculously talented, likes that they can relate to each other and that he challenges her, artistically speaking,” the insider added. “Ethan wants the best for Ariana and for themselves as a couple. They support and elevate one another.”

The source stated that he is “invested in

https://edit-elle.hearstapps.com/en/content/edit/55e9d556-752b-47d7-b2ab-da0b83e0aea8#

developing his relationship with Ariana and her family” while still being “a hands-on dad.”

The source continued, “Ariana's family is of course, protective of her, but as long as she is happy and treated well, they will continue to support their relationship.”

Slater and Grande were seen out together at the end of October 2023.

Grande and Slater became slightly more public with their romance as October came to an end. On October 21, the couple was photographed getting dinner together. Eyewitnesses there described them as being “super flirty and touchy-feely.”

On October 31, Grande was photographed out supporting Slater at the first Broadway preview show for Spamalot, where he is playing The Historian/Prince Herbert. Multiple sources close to Grande told TMZ that she has “been having more fun, and going out more often lately,” and that it’s a sign “she feels safer and more able to be herself” with Slater.

Slater lost his mother as a child and spoke about how that tragedy shaped him.

In an August 2021 interview with Pop-Culturalist.com, Slater discussed how he co-wrote the musical Edge of the World based on that loss. “One of the big things is the mining [of] my personal experience for writing,” he said. “When I was 7 years old, my mom died, and so that’s been a really big, formative thing in my life. She had left this huge imprint on me, even though I had so few memories. And that’s what happens to this character, Ben. He grows up not knowing his mom, being raised by a single dad, and yet the impact she has on his life and his life trajectory is immeasurable. So those are the two inspirational elements that came together.”

You Might Also Like

• The 15 Best Organic And Clean Shampoos For Any And All Hair Types

• 100 Gifts That Are $50 Or Under (And Look Way More Expensive Than They Actually Are)