The boy is hers. The ‘thank u, next’ singer has been feeling good about her relationship to actor Ethan Slater.
The pair met while filming the upcoming two-part Wicked movie musical. At the time, both were married to their respective spouses — Ariana was with her now-ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, while Ethan was with his wife, Lilly Jay. Us confirmed in June 2023 that Grande started dating Slater after quietly separating from Gomez, 28. Slater, meanwhile, is going through his own divorce proceedings with Lilly Jay, with whom he shares an infant son.
Despite the outward messiness that followed the abrupt end to two marriages, Grande’s family has been fully supportive of the pair’s current status. The singer’s 41-year-old brother, Frankie, said that he’s been following Ethan’s career for a long time. “I love him, he’s a very sweet guy. I’ve been a fan of him ever since seeing him in SpongeBob [the musical],” he told Too Fab. “And I got to interview him when I was doing the SpongeBob SquarePants podcast. And the Broadway community is a tight-knit family.”
A source added when talking to US Weekly, ““[Ariana] is her authentic self with Ethan…It’s not superficial, but more intellectual and emotional.” The source continues by sharing that Grande is fulfilled in her relationship.”
“They’re a little dorky and [both] theater geeks at heart. She loves that about him. It’s mutual,” a second insider shared with Us in November 2023. “Their relationship is blossoming. It’s effortless with zero drama.”
However, the claim of “zero drama” seemed untrue when the Nickelodeon alum released her 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine, which many speculate is about her split from Dalton and her budding relationship with Ethan.
“To sing a song called ‘The Boy Is Mine’ is not only a slap in the face to his still wife Lilly, but a slap in the face to all women,” the Daily Mail reported. “As Lilly said from the get-go, Ariana is not a girl’s girl, and Ethan’s family is collateral damage. Ariana basically rubbed it in Lilly’s face that she stole Ethan from Lilly then asks her fans to not interpret her song the wrong way. This is not an interpretation. It is her literal words.”