Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s relationship is, for lack of a better way of putting it, as controversial as it is odd. She’s always had a unique taste in men, but when they first got together after Wicked, the internet had more than a few questions.
Though I think most of us are of the belief that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are soulmates, they are actually just solid friends – no matter what the internet recently led us to believe. Ariana is still very much with Ethan, for the time being at least, so let’s take a walk down memory lane.
Here’s their relationship from start to finish.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater met on the set of Wicked
Cast your mind back to 2022: The Queen had died, Elon Musk had purchased Twitter (I still refuse to call it X), Will Smith had slapped Chris Rock, and Julia Fox’s “Uncut Gems” was stuck in our heads on repeat.
Filming for Wicked began in December 2022, with Ethan and Ariana meeting on the set for the first time. Both were married at the time, Ariana to Dalton Gomez and Ethan to his childhood sweetheart who’d just given him a child.
Fast forward to July 2023
In the following year, after Ariana was seen without her wedding ring on, TMZ confirmed that she was getting a divorce from Dalton. Just ten days after that, Ethan Slater filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay, as romance rumours with Ariana began heating up.
They went public with the romance in October 2023
Credit: Presley Ann Photo/Shutterstock for SAG
After months of crumbs and after Wicked executives told them to stay out of the public eye, Ariana and Ethan stayed in a New York hotel together before catching the Spamalot preview in October.
They only started talking openly about the relationship a full year after that, in October 2024. It was then that both parties started to gush about the relationship.
“He’s always that adorable and he’s so amazing in this film. He’s such an amazing person,” Ariana told Entertainment Tonight. “I’m so happy people are getting to know him. My heart is very happy.”
Ethan Slater’s wife was not initially happy, for obvious reasons
as an arianator this is very sad to see. I hope ethan slater’s ex wife can find peace
pic.twitter.com/7CXSWlcZXp
— saph (@aritheweeknd) December 19, 2024
Amidst rumours about Ariana Grande and Ethan, his wife, Lilly, and people close to her started to talk to the press about the bubbling relationship.
“[Ariana’s] the story, really. Not a girl’s girl,” Lilly told Page Six in July 2023. “My family is just collateral damage.”
At the same time, their friends said she was “rightfully upset” by the drama, but that “Ethan is trying to take the high road and hopes he can resolve this situation for the sake of their child.”
Lilly further said she was “focused on rebuilding a life for our son”, with one of her friends later claiming that she didn’t know what on the record meant. If she had known, she would have never called Ariana “Not a girl’s girl”, apparently.
They’ve been kind of lowkey ever since
Credit: Rahul Bhatt/Shutterstock for SAG
Ever since the initial humdrum surrounding their relationship, Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have been very discreet. There’s no shocking baby news, no leaked sex tape, and no cheating allegations to speak of. You could easily forget they’re together at all, but like every intrusive thought, the realisation pops up every now and again.
There have been rumours of trouble in paradise
Fast forwarding to November 2025, rumours of Ariana and Ethan’s impending breakup were rife – she was even connected to Aaron Taylor-Johnson for a while. Pair that speculation with the couple’s cold shoulder at public events, and people were guessing the relationship was on the outs.
“They both have a lot going on, but their relationship is the real deal. They’re incredibly supportive of each other’s careers and so excited for everyone to see their new film,” a source told PEOPLE last month, refuting the rumours.
Later, a film source said they were playing it cool at public events to not take attention away from the movie they’d both worked so hard on.
Are Ethan and Ariana endgame? Only time will tell.
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Featured image credit: Presley Ann Photo/Shutterstock for SAG
