Just because we learned that Ariana Grande is dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater a mere three days after news broke that Grande was splitting from then husband Dalton Gomez doesn’t mean the timeline was equally as rushed…. Who are we kidding? This whole thing was wild.
Thank U, Next… in line for Eternal Sunshine tickets 💅
And yet, now that it’s been more than two years since Grande and Slater’s relationship went public, the shock is finally beginning to ebb. In fact, many fans who were staunchly critical of Slater started to “see the appeal” as the two promote the project that brought them together. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s forgotten the relationship’s controversial beginnings.
According to those first few sources, Grande was still working on her relationship with Gomez when she flew to the UK to film the musical movie Wicked in December 2022, though a source told Us Weekly that the couple were “having issues” and “the distance did not help.” Meanwhile, Grande’s current boyfriend—who was known for playing SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway before taking on the Munchkin Boq in Wicked — was also in a committed relationship when filming began. In fact, Slater had been married to high school sweetheart Lilly Jay since 2018 and welcomed his first child with her in 2022.
So what’s their actual relationship timeline? Here’s everything we know about Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s romance, with the most recent developments at the top.
From mean girl to bad ally, Glinda may not be "wicked," but she certainly isn't good.
December 2022: Wicked begins filming. Grande plays the famed good witch Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba.
16 July 2023: Grande is spotted at Wimbledon without her wedding ring.
17 July 2023: News breaks that Grande and Gomez have separated. TMZ is the first to report the news, which People quickly confirmed.
26 July 2023: Ethan Slater officially files for divorce from Lilly Jay. Us Weekly confirms that the SpongeBob actor filed divorce papers in New York City on the 26th.
6 September 2023: After private-ing his Instagram, Ethan Slater returns to the platform with a post about his upcoming turn in the Broadway revival of Spamalot.
The post is a blurry photo of his face, followed by a picture of a dog looking out the window, and then a silent clip of him and a costar rehearsing some choreography. Comments on the post are limited, but Ariana subtly showed her support with a “like” on the post.
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22 September 2023: Grande and Slater are spotted walking arm-in-arm at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
7 October 2023: Multiple publications report that Gomez and Grande have settled their divorce.
21 October 2023: Grande and Slater are photographed looking happy and cosy at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York.
31 October 2023: Grande attends the first preview of Slater’s latest Broadway turn in the Spamalot revival.
21 December 2023: Grande is such a supportive girlfriend that she appears to pay homage to Slater’s show on her Christmas tree. Just take a look at her can-of-Spam ornament in her pre-holiday Instagram dump:
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28 December 2023: Grande seemingly addresses critics of her personal life in a year-end letter to fans shared via the pop star’s Instagram story. “I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me,” she wrote of her transformative year largely spent out of the spotlight. “I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life.”
12 January 2024: Grande drops Yes, And? which is both her first solo single in three years and the lead single from her forthcoming album. Slater isn’t mentioned by name, but lyrics like these certainly appear to be nodding in his general direction:
8 June 2024: Grande and Slater are pictured hanging out at the Stanley Cup Final in Florida.
30 October 2024: Ethan Slater responds to a question asking what it was like to ‘fall in love’ while making Wicked, during an interview with GQ. He touched on the difficulty of dealing with the speculation surrounding their romance, too. “Obviously, it was a really super big year,” he said, “and I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public. There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love. So just to address that part of it, that feels really hard."
He added: “But, of course, it was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing, and I’m just really excited. I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this. She’s poured herself into it. I’m really proud that I got to be there for that part of it, and I’m really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did.”
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The pair shared their thoughts on sisterhood, women stepping into their power, and protecting their mental wellbeing.
4 November 2024: As part of a photo dump for the Wicked press tour, Ariana posts the first picture of Ethan that she's ever posted. Cute.
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9 November 2024: Ethan and Ariana share a little embrace at the Los Angeles Premiere of Wicked. On the red carpet, Ariana gushes about how Ethan helped her with the train of her dress: “He’s always that adorable and he’s so amazing in this film. He’s such an amazing person,” she said to Entertainment Tonight. “I’m so happy people are getting to know him. My heart is very happy.”
14 November 2024: Ariana and Ethan exchange a cute moment at the New York Premiere of Wicked.
19 December 2024: Ethan Slater's ex-wife, Lilly Jay, opens up about their divorce. In an essay published by The Cut, the clinical psychologist broke her silence on the end of her relationship with Ethan, with particular reference to the fact that she had just given birth to their son and that his new relationship was so highly publicised. “No one gets married thinking they’ll get divorced, in the same way we don’t board a plane expecting to crash,” she wrote. “But I really never thought I would get divorced. Especially not just after giving birth to my first child and especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity.” According to the Daily Mail, a source has stated that Ethan and Ariana are “relieved” that Lilly “didn't throw them under the bus” and that because of her divorce agreement with Ethan, she had been “restricted” from speaking out about certain aspects of the split.
December 27 2024: Sources tell Us Weekly that Grande and Slater have been “inseparable” since Wicked premiered earlier in the month. “The Wicked press tour made their relationship ever stronger, and Ariana is over the moon about Ethan,” the source said. “They have so much in common, which is something Ari never had with past relationships.”
The alleged insider says the pair are “still in the honeymoon phase of pure bliss” after more than a year of dating, while a second source says they “practically live together” in New York City.
Even so, that second source says the pop star “is not rushing to get married again” after her divorce from Dalton Gomez, which was finalised in March 2024. “She feels she is content with how things are now, and it’s a really healthy situation,” the source said. “Ariana used to move really quickly in relationships and has learned to slow down.
December 31 2024: Grande shares more BTS moments from her year on Instagram, including a rare selfie with Slater. “A year full of art and heart 𖦹 ｡˚ฺ ｡˚·ꕤ.ﾟ! Thank you eternally for your love and support, words truly don’t suffice,” she captioned the snaps. “I love you always and am wishing you all a very happy new year!”
January 3, 2025: Ethan Slater may not have walked the red carpet at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards, but he did pose for a photo with another Grande.
Frankie Grande and Ethan Slater attend the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards on January 3, 2025.
On January 3, Slater posed with Grande’s brother, Frankie Grande. Both attended the event to support Grande, who took home the Rising Star Award for her performance in Wicked.
“I’ve been performing since I was a child, so I never thought at the age of 31 I’d be hearing the words ‘Rising Star’ again, so I want to start by thanking my good friends Botox and Juvederm,” she joked in her speech, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought I’d be hearing ‘Slightly Withering Star’ or ‘Drooping Star’ by now, so thank you.”
Their three-part Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked tribute moved the house to tears.
She also spoke about what she learned from Glinda, saying, “Though Glinda the Good is full of frivolous humour and witty punchlines, comedy is just another way of telling the truth. She has an innate ability to make light out of darkness, even when there is pain, and I’m so grateful to have lived in that, to have learned so much from her over these past three years.”
January 7, 2025: Grande and Slater aren’t keeping their love on the DL any more. The couple attended the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala together, where Wicked — the film that brought them together — was celebrated. The couple wasn’t shy about sharing their affection for one another, posing for photos that made it stunningly clear they were, ya know, together together.
January 23, 2025: After Ariana Grande lands her first Oscar nomination for her role as Glinda in Wicked, Slater shares a celebratory photo to his Instagram grid. In it, Grande appears to be looking out the window of a hotel room, a bouquet of Glinda pink balloons in her hand.
Though he didn’t caption the photo, he made sure to tag the Academy, the Wicked movie account, and Grande, just to avoid any confusion.
February 7, 2025: Chelsea Handler jokes about the couple to their face at the Critics Choice Awards. “It is so nice to see some of our beloved child stars all grown up and thriving. Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Ariana Grande are all nominated tonight,” she says, before adding, “And now, Ariana has even found love with a Munchkin.”
February 23, 2025: Grande and Slater are spotted looking very loved up at the SAG Awards.
March 2, 2025: The pair attend the Oscars — although they walk the red carpet separately, they are spotted hugging and chatting inside the Dolby Theater. Adorable.
While walking the carpet before the show, Slater was asked by Access Hollywood how “his girl” was feeling.
“Oh, you mean Ariana? She's doing great,” he replied. “She's so excited, we're all so excited, I can't believe that I get to be in the Oscars, this is amazing.”
April 28, 2025: Grande brings Slater as her date to see Liz Gillies in Little Shop of Horrors, per the Victorious actor’s Instagram post.
September 24, 2025: After a quiet summer for Grande and Slater, the Wicked cast kicks off their For Good press tour by filming their live special, Wicked: One Wonderful Night. In one photo from the evening, Grande can be seen getting into a photo booth with Slater and Bowen Yang.
October 17, 2025: The Daily Mail publishes a report that feeds into recent breakup rumours, with one source claiming the pair have been “on and off for most of this year.”
November 11, 2025: Grande includes Slater in her Instagram roundup from London’s Wicked premiere.
November 12, 2025: People reports that Grande and Slater are going strong amid breakup rumours. “They both have a lot going on, but their relationship is the real deal,” a source tells the publication. “They’re incredibly supportive of each other’s careers and so excited for everyone to see their new film.”
November 21, 2025: Ariana Grande reposts Slater’s Wicked BTS roundup on her Instagram Story. Of all the pictures he posted, she chose to share a solo pic of Slater outside of his trailer, adding a cute little Tin Man (with his heart).
Meanwhile, Slater manoeuvres around a question about their relationship during an appearance on Today. When asked how it felt “working with [his] girlfriend every day,” he pivots by highlighting the entire cast, responding, “The entire cast was incredible and Ariana’s brilliant and Cynthia’s remarkable.”
A version of this feature originally appeared on GLAMOUR US.
A “sister scent” to the original CLOUD.
