- Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater reportedly began dating on the “Wicked” movie set.
- Though neither has publicly confirmed their relationship, both split from their spouses in 2023.
- They have been spotted together numerous times since news of their relationship broke.
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater seem to be going strong, more than a year after news of their relationship made headlines.
The “Thank U, Next” singer, 31, and Broadway star, 32, were both legally married to other people when they met on the set of “Wicked.” Now, the two have become a “full-on couple,” according to sources. Some even claim they’re already living together in New York City.
Keep reading for a complete timeline of their friendship-turned-romance.
December 2022: Grande begins filming the ‘Wicked’ movie
Back in 2021, Grande and Cynthia Erivo were cast in the big-screen “Wicked” adaptation as Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba the Wicked Witch, respectively.
On December 7, 2022, director Jon M. Chu confirmed that filming was underway.
“My daughter wrote a note and drew a picture to commemorate the first day of shooting,” he wrote on his Instagram story. Grande also reshared the photo, adding, “My heart.”
That same day, Variety announced Slater’s addition to the cast as Boq, the love interest of Elphaba’s younger sister, Nessarose.
At that point, Slater was best known for his Tony-nominated role in “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.”
January 2023: Grande reportedly separates from her husband, Dalton Gomez
According to reports from TMZ and People, Grande and Gomez broke up shortly after she went to England to film “Wicked.”
TMZ claimed their relationship suffered after pandemic restrictions were lifted because Gomez was “taken aback” by his wife’s fame. He was reportedly displeased with the constant presence of paparazzi and Grande’s need for security.
March 2023: Grande and Slater are photographed together
The cast of “Wicked” shared several photos online while celebrating Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win in London.
One photo, posted by Yeoh herself, shows Grande sitting between Erivo and Slater.
April 3, 2023: Grande shares a tribute to her ‘Wicked’ costars
Grande announced that filming “Wicked” was halfway done with a sentimental post on Instagram.
“i am so grateful, i don’t know what to do or say… to be here in Oz where everyday is a life changing one… to be feeling, learning and growing so much at such a disarming speed,” she wrote in the caption. “to be transforming and healing parts of me that i never knew needed it. or maybe did.”
Grande also wished a “happy halfway” to her crew and costars, whom she described as “my fellow Ozians.”
“my heart will be stuck here forever,” she added.
May 15, 2023: Grande shares a photo with Gomez to celebrate their second wedding anniversary
In a sweet Instagram story, Grande shared a photo of her and Gomez kissing at their wedding. She wrote that they’d been together for over three years, adding, “I love him so.”
Later that month, Grande deleted thousands of posts from her Instagram grid.
July 17, 2023: News breaks that Grande and Gomez are ‘heading for divorce’
Rumors were already swirling about Grande’s split from Gomez when she attended a Wimbledon tennis match without her wedding ring.
The following day, TMZ published a report that she and Gomez had been separated for several months and were “heading for divorce,” citing anonymous sources close to the couple.
Another source confirmed the news to People, claiming that Grande and Gomez “have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship.”
July 20, 2023: Grande and Slater’s new relationship makes headlines
Once again, TMZ broke the news that Grande and Slater were a couple. According to the tabloid, they began dating while filming “Wicked.”
Slater had been married to his high-school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, since 2018. The couple welcomed a son in August 2022; Slater shared a Mother’s Day tribute on May 14, 2023, describing Jay as “the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world.” (Grande liked the post.)
When his relationship with Grande made headlines, neither Slater nor Jay had yet announced their separation. Later that day, People confirmed that Slater and Jay had “gone their separate ways,” but did not provide a timeline for their split.
July 26, 2023: Slater files for divorce from Jay
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Slater filed for divorce from Jay in New York.
The specific reason Slater listed for the split has not been made public.
July 27, 2023: Slater’s estranged wife says Grande is ‘not a girl’s girl’
One day after Slater filed for divorce, Jay gave a short interview to Page Six’s Francesca Bacardi, in which she described Grande as “not a girl’s girl.”
“My family is just collateral damage,” Jay told Bacardi, adding, “The story is her and Dalton.”
Jay also said she’s focused on being a “good mom” to her 1-year-old son.
According to an anonymous source, Slater and Jay had been separated for two months before he pursued a relationship with Grande.
“Ethan is trying to take the high road and hopes he can resolve this situation for the sake of their child,” the source told Page Six.
September 18, 2023: Grande and Gomez simultaneously file for divorce
Grande cited “irreconcilable differences” in her official divorce filing, according to TMZ. Gomez quickly followed suit with his own filing.
“They’ve been really caring and respectful of one another every step of this process,” a source told the outlet.
According to court documents, the date of their separation was listed as February 20, 2023.
Their divorce was finalized just three weeks after filing on October 6, 2023, according to multiple outlets. In accordance with the couple’s prenuptial agreement, Gomez reportedly received $1,250,000 from Grande.
Meanwhile, a source told People that Grande is trying to keep her relationship with Slater out of the spotlight.
“While this entire situation has been blown out of proportion, it’s much different than what has been portrayed in public,” said a friend of the couple. “They are just trying to navigate their new relationship in private.”
September 29, 2023: Grande and Slater spend a night together at Disney World
Grande and Slater were spotted walking through Disney World and linking arms in their first public outing.
“They went with a big group of friends as well her mom and brother,” a source told People, adding, “All of her friends love him.”
October 31, 2023: Grande is spotted cheering for the cast of Broadway’s ‘Spamalot,’ including Slater
Grande was in the audience for the first preview performance of “Spamalot,” a Monty Python-inspired musical. She can be seen cheering for the cast in a video that made the rounds on social media.
Fans assume she was primarily there to support Slater, who played The Historian and Prince Herbert in the production.
“She has seen it during tech rehearsals,” an anonymous attendee told People. “She was so sweet last night, taking pictures with fans and gushing about how much she was enjoying the performances. She’s a theater kid at her core, so you see she really feels at peace being around Broadway.”
Before becoming a pop star, Grande got her start on Broadway as a teen in “13: The Musical.” She attended the “Spamalot” preview with her former “13” and “Victorious” costar, Liz Gillies, who shared a selfie with Grande on her Instagram story.
“Had the BEST time at @spamalotbway last night. Run, don’t walk!” Gillies wrote in the caption. Grande reshared the photo on her own story.
November 12, 2023: The couple enjoys a theatrical date night
Grande and Slater were spotted together at the James Earl Jones Theater, catching a performance of “Gutenberg! The Musical!” on Broadway.
The couple also spent some time backstage with the production’s costars, Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. The former “Girls” actor later shared a photo of the foursome on Instagram.
“We had some big fun in Schlimmer yesterday! Spamalot’s Ethan Slater AND Michael Urie! Two great guys to eat dreams with,” Rannells wrote in the caption. “Plus Ariana Grande! It was a perfect Sunday.”
November 16, 2023: Grande attends the opening night of ‘Spamalot’
Once again, Grande was spotted in the crowd at the St. James Theatre for the official opening night of “Spamalot.”
She also brought her mother, Joan Grande, brother-in-law, Hale Grande, and a few friends along for the occasion (including Doug Middlebrook of “In My Head” fame).
Grande later shared a slideshow of photos from the evening, including a T-shirt that reads, “Happy Opening Of Broadway Show.”
In his own slideshow, Slater included a photo of himself wearing the same shirt.
December 22, 2023: Grande includes an apparent nod to Slater in her holiday decor
In an Instagram slideshow that she captioned with a heart, Grande included a photo of a Spam tree ornament.
Many fans think the can of processed pork is a shoutout to Slater’s role in “Spamalot.”
December 23, 2023: The couple is seen dining with Grande’s father, Ed Butera, in New York City
Grande, Slater, and Butera had dinner “at her family’s favorite Italian restaurant” in Manhattan, according to Page Six.
They were photographed leaving the restaurant before heading to the Theater District, where Grande caught another performance of “Spamalot.”
“They love to support each other in their work,” an anonymous source told the outlet. “When she’s done with work, she loves going to the theater when she can.” (This exact quote was also cited by People.)
December 28, 2023: TMZ reports that Grande and Slater are living together
According to sources close to the couple, Grande and Slater are currently living together in New York City. One source also said they “vibe together.”
“We’re told each maintains a separate residence, but they are together almost all of the time,” TMZ wrote.
March 8, 2024: Grande releases her album ‘Eternal Sunshine,’ which may contain references to her new boyfriend
Amid several breakup songs on Grande’s seventh album, she sings about finding new love.
“I found a good boy and he’s on my side / You’re just my eternal sunshine,” she sings in the title track, drawing a distinction between her ex and her new man. (Although Grande hasn’t named any muses for “Eternal Sunshine,” the information we have about her love life would indicate these are Gomez and Slater, respectively.)
“Supernatural,” “Imperfect For You,” and “Ordinary Things” also allude to a recently sparked romance (“Nothing else felt this way inside me,” “We crashed and we burned / Now I just can’t go where you don’t go,” “There’s never gonna be an ordinary thing as long as I’m with you”).
June 8, 2024: Grande and Slater attend a hockey game together
Grande and Slater were photographed sitting side-by-side at Amerant Bank Arena in Florida, Grande’s home state, for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
They were joined by Grande’s longtime friend, Courtney Chipolone, per People.
September 30, 2024: Grande defends Slater and their relationship against ‘disreputable evil tabloids’
Without mentioning Slater by name, Grande addressed the recent rumors about her love life during an interview with Vanity Fair.
“It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids. Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did,” Grande said, referring to “Wicked.”
Grande also disavowed the negative perception of her relationship with Slater, which she said was created by the media — though, again, she didn’t clarify any specifics, telling the magazine she “will never go into certain details.”
“The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it,” she said.
“There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him,” Grande added of Slater, alluding to rumors that he left his wife and child to be with her.
“No one on this Earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this Earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bullshit tabloid can rewrite in real life.”
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