Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater reportedly started dating in mid-2023, when both of them were going through a separation from their respective spouses. It wasn’t just romance rumors that circled the internet. Some fans accused them of infidelity, alleging that Grande came between Slater and his wife, Lilly Jay.
Slater, who played Munchkin Boq in Wicked alongside Grande, was in a relationship with Jay for more than a decade. Jay is a clinical psychologist who specializes in perinatal mental health and child development. They started dating in 2012 and got married six years later in 2018. They welcomed their son just a year prior to separating from each other.
According to E! News, Slater’s divorce from Jay had already been finalized when he and Grande reportedly began a relationship. The We can’t be friends singer and her ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, separated in February 2023 as per their divorce documents (via TMZ).
Grande and Slater were spotted together on Disney dates, dinner outings, at theaters, and at hockey games. Slater had met Grande’s parents and her brother Frankie Grande. Frankie shared with TooFab about Slater:
He’s very very very sweet. I just, I adore him. I, honestly I’ve always just said this, all I want is for my sister to be happy and when she’s happy I’m happy. So I’m very happy.
During the press tour for Wicked, Grande and Slater shared subtle PDA as they wrapped their arms around each other. Recent reports indicated that Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater had separated, although this report should be taken with a grain of salt.
What Did Lilly Jay Say About Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande’s Relationship?
Lilly Jay’s essay on The Cut, reflecting her divorce from Ethan Slater, made rounds on the internet last December. Even though the clinical psychologist refrains from blaming Slater or Grande, netizens reading through her story bashed the Wicked stars for their relationship.
They also found a subtle hint in the essay that Jay might not be okay with her ex-husband and the Problem singer’s relationship. Most of her essay deals with her struggles as a new mom, especially after the divorce. She shared that her essay is a “bottled message” and hoped that it finds all the new moms out there.
However, netizens believe that one of her lines from the essay allegedly hints at an affair between Slater and Grande. Jay shared that she never thought she would get divorced. She further added that she didn’t expect it to happen right after her first son was born, and neither did she expect her husband’s new relationship to overshadow it. She shared:
No one gets married thinking they’ll get divorced, in the same way we don’t board a plane expecting to crash. 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.
One netizen on X shared that Jay’s last line was a hint, sharing, “obviously she saying he cheated.” Jay further shared in her essay:
As a perinatal psychologist, I knew all the statistics — how vulnerable a marriage is in the postpartum period, how vital community connection is in preventing depression and anxiety, how new parenthood impacts a whole family. But I confidently moved to another country with my 2-month-old baby and my husband to support his career.
However, Jay did not address when and how her marriage ended with Slater. She further shared that Slater is still a huge part of her son’s life and loves him one hundred percent.
Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande Addressed the Infidelity Rumors
It appears that all the comments against their relationship had reportedly affected Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande. Slater shared in an interview with GQ that the rumors about their relationship posed some difficulties during his “really super big year” in his career. Slater shared with the publication:
Obviously, it was a really super big year 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.
In her interview with Vanity Fair, Grande was disappointed about how her relationship was being perceived in the public eye. She bashed the tabloids for spreading the rumors, sharing, “It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids.” She further shared:
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. We were away for two years. So, of course, I understand why it was a field day for the tabloids to sort of create something that paid their bills.
Grande shared that the “most disappointing part” about the rumors was that many people actually believed “the worst version of it.” She also addressed the rumors that Slater had cheated on his wife with her, sharing, “There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him.”
She shared that Slater was someone who was there for the people he loved and cared about. She shared, “There is no one on this earth with a better heart and that is something that no bulls–t tabloid can rewrite in real life.” She added that no rumor would bring her down this time after facing backlashes in the past.
Dalton Gomez Was Silent on Divorce Despite Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s Relationship
While Lilly Jay came out with the essay on her divorce from Ethan Slater amid his new relationship, Ariana Grande’s ex-husband has been silent on the whole thing. Dalton Gomez has yet to open up about what led to their divorce, and we might have a possible reason for it.
According to TMZ, Gomez was allegedly paid over $1,250,000 tax-free, as per their divorce proceedings. He might not have received spousal support from the singer, but he would have received half of the net profits from the sale of their LA home. Furthermore, he was to be paid $25,000 by Grande for his attorney’s fees.
According to the legal documents, Gomez and Grande had agreed not to “release, disclose or publication of any photograph (and related negatives), tape, film or like embodiments in all forms whether now or hereafter.” It was alleged that Gomez signed an NDA, which prevented him from giving any interviews or writing any books or articles about her.
Many fans believed that Gomez couldn’t speak out on the singer’s new relationship due to the alleged NDA. Gomez’s sister, Tori, shared on social media, “If he could speak, his side of the story might shed light on things differently” (via Reddit). Her comment only fueled further speculation about what might have transpired behind the scenes.
Rumored Romance Between Ariana Grande and Married Man Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Is It True?
Fans are accusing Ariana Grande of breaking another marriage after a rumor started circulating online. The new rumor alleges a romance between Grande and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The Kraven the Hunter actor is married to Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson.
The rumors started after a Blind Items post went viral, stating that an A-list singer had a lunch date with a married three-named actor. For some reason, a few fans were convinced that it was Grande and Taylor-Johnson.
if there was anyone who could get aaron taylor johnson out of that relationship it’d be ariana this makes perfect sense pic.twitter.com/go5N9IlvWh
If you know anything about Blind Items, they have an endless list of baseless speculations about your favorite celebrities. Amidst the romance rumors, a photo surfaced on the internet showing them out of town. However, TikToker @dojacow69 debunked the photo and shared that Grande’s pic was photoshopped on top of Sam Taylor-Johnson in the picture.
Taylor-Johnson and his wife, who is twenty-three years older, first met in 2008 and got engaged in October 2009. They had two daughters, Wylda, born in 2010, and Romy, born in January 2012. After nearly three years of their engagement, the couple got married in June 2012 in Somerset, England.
On June 21, 2025, the couple celebrated their thirteenth anniversary of their wedding. As of now, Grande and Taylor-Johnson are not dating, even though fans started flooding their socials with comments connecting them.
What do you think of Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez’s relationship? Let us know in the comments below!
