Ariana Grande ‘DATING Wicked co-star Ethan Slater’ – following split from husband Dalton Gomez
- Slater plays the supporting character Boq in Wicked after TV and stage work
- He married Lilly Jay in 2018 and had a son late last year
- Their date of separation is unclear. Ariana split from her husband in January
Ariana Grande is now dating her Wicked co-star, Broadway actor Ethan Slater, according to a new report.
The 30-year-old singer’s split from husband Dalton Gomez after a two year marriage was announced earlier this week, although they are said to have split in January.
Sources confirmed Ariana and Ethan — who plays Boq in the film adaption of the Broadway musical — recently started dating during production of the film, reports TMZ.
Ethan was married to singer Lilly Jay, who he wed in 2018 and they welcomed a son last year. Ariana and Ethan did not start dating until he separated from Lilly.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Ariana and Ethan for comment.
This comes amid claims Ariana’s now-estranged husband Dalton isn’t handling their split as well as the singer.
New romance: Ariana Grande is now dating her Wicked co-star, Broadway actor Ethan Slater (pictured R in 2022), according to a new report
‘Devastated’: This comes amid claims Ariana’s now-estranged husband Dalton isn’t handling their split as well as the singer
Ethan, 31, has had a few small film roles up to this point, but the two-part adaptation of Wicked appears to be his most substantial film role to date.
He also appeared in a single episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel earlier this year, and he played the real-life actor Joel Gray — best known for playing the Emcee in the original Broadway production of Cabaret and the 1972 film adaptation — in the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon.
The show starred Sam Rockwell as the choreographer and dancer Bob Fosse, who later graduated to directing classic films including Cabaret and All That Jazz, while Michelle Williams played his third wife, Gwen Verdon, who danced in many of his works and served as his artistic muse.
Ethan was previously seen in a photo with Ariana that was snapped in March at a party in London honoring their Wicked costar Michelle Yeoh after she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The two lovebirds were seen sitting at a round table and beaming ear to ear while surrounded by Wicked costars and friends.
Cynthia Erivo, who plays the lead role as the green-skinned Elphaba opposite Ariana as Glinda the Good, leaned in to her costar and showed off an infectious smile.
The gathering also included Michelle’s former costar Anya Taylor-Joy, who appeared with her in the 2016 horror-thriller Morgan.
The film’s stars could be seen gathering around a table in a short clip from the event as a cake honoring the Malaysian actress, who initially starred in a string of classic Hong Kong action films before moving to the US and breaking into Hollywood productions.
Work romance? Sources confirmed Ariana and Ethan — who plays Boq in the film adaption of the Broadway musical — recently started dating during production of the film
Exes: Ethan was married to singer Lilly Jay, who he wed in 2018 and they welcomed a son last year. Ariana and Ethan did not start dating until he separated from Lilly (Ethan and Lilly pictured 2018)
Having a blast: Ethan was previously seen in a photo with Ariana that was snapped in March at a party honoring their Wicked costar Michelle Yeoh after she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once
Famous faces: They were joined by costar Cynthia Erivo and Michelle’s former costar Anya Taylor-Joy, as well as Wicked’s director Jon M. Chu
Rising star: Ethan is best known for starring as the title character in the SpongeBob SquarePants musical, though he has had several TV credits and small film roles before nabbing his big break with Wicked
Although Ethan’s list of film credits isn’t long, he has already established himself as a stage veteran.
Musical fans probably know him for playing the title character in the SpongeBob SquarePants musical. The role earned him a Drama Desk Award, as well as a prestigious Tony Award nomination.
Despite the report of Ariana and Ethan’s new romance, the timing of his apparent separation with his wife Lilly Jay is somewhat fuzzy.
The couple, who were high school classmates, were married in 2018, and they welcomed their first child, a son, in November of 2022.
‘[Ariana] and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife,’ a source told People on Thursday.
In January of this year, Ethan revealed his wife Lilly had welcomed a child together by posting a photo of a positive pregnancy test and a ‘Wicked Cute’ baby’s onesie, and he commented, ‘Super vague post, but we have a baby now.’
A subsequent post Ethan shared on Mother’s Day confirmed that they had a baby boy.
‘Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world,’ he wrote, signing it ‘- from me and this little guy.’
Ariana is reported to have given up on her marriage to Dalton for good in January 2023, but it’s unclear when exactly she and Ethan began dating.
It’s also not currently known when Ethan and his wife Lilly separated, and under what circumstances the split occurred.
In November, Ethan celebrated his fourth wedding anniversary on Instagram, where called called his wife, ‘My best friend.’
He added, ‘4 years married, 10 years together.’
Little one: In January of this year, Ethan revealed his wife Lilly had welcomed a child together by posting a photo of a positive pregnancy test
Growing family: Lilly is believed to have given birth in late 2022. EThan also shared a photo of a ‘Wicked Cute’ baby’s onesie
Obscure: The vague post included a photo in shadows of one of the parents pushing their child in a stroller. Ethan later clarified in the comments that they had expanded their family
Details: On May 14, Ethan celebrated Lilly for her first Mother’s Day on Instagram and revealed they had welcomed a son
Father and son: He shared a photo of the little boy’s hand, but it’s unclear if he and Lilly were still together in mid-May, or if they had already separated. It’s unknown when the relationship ended and under what circumstances
It was previously reported that Ariana’s real-estate agent husband Dalton is ‘devastated’ that their two-year marriage has come to an end after he hoped that they would be a forever couple.
‘Dalton has been devastated by it,’ an insider dished to Us Weekly this week.
‘A separation is not what he wanted. He wanted the fairy tale, happy ending, and it’s not looking that way.’
Though it was recently reported that Ariana is looking to ‘move forward,’ another source claimed that Dalton still has hope they will reconcile.
‘Dalton is really hoping to make things work with Ariana. Despite the rocky patches they’ve been through, he isn’t ready to give up on their marriage.
‘He saw himself spending the rest of his life with Ariana and will do anything to get past this.’
Us Weekly also reported this week that Ariana is ready to put her failed marriage behind her and ‘determined to move forward.’
An insider claimed that the former couple had amicably decided on divorcing as they felt it was the right move considering their differences.
‘As sad as it is, the consensus on both sides is that this is ultimately for the best,’ the source said. ‘Ariana and Dalton are two very different people.’
Furthermore, they also noted that the singer–songwriter’s loved ones are ‘happy’ that she is taking the steps in her personal life to do what is best for her.
Keeping her head up: Ariana Grande is staying positive amid her shocking split with her now-estranged husband, Dalton Gomez
Thank U, Next! The 30-year-old pop star ‘is determined to move forward’ after separating from the real estate broker, 27, after two years of marriage, a source revealed to Us Weekly on Tuesday
Over the weekend, the Thank U, Next hitmaker had sparked divorce rumors after she was spotted without her wedding ring at the Wimbledon’s Men’s Final on Sunday with her Wicked co-star, Jonathan Bailey.
As exclusively shared by DailyMail.com, she seemed to have fully ditched the ring while enjoying a bit of retail therapy in London on Tuesday with her other co-star, Cynthia Erivo, in the upcoming musical movie.
Since the shocking news emerged, Grande has also scrubbed her Instagram clean of any wedding photos.
As of now, however, she still has pictures up with Gomez amid claims that the pair are remaining friends despite having called it quits back in January.
Sources revealed to Us Weekly claims that the pair have been having issues for quite some time and ultimately decided to split amid the ‘rough patch’.
‘Ariana and Dalton have been having some issues for months now,’ the insider had revealed after the songstress was spotted without her ring.
‘They were having issues before she left for Wicked filming [in London] that they couldn’t resolve, and the distance did not help,’ the source added.
Another insider disclosed that their relationship had been thriving out of the spotlight until this year.
Separated: The insider also stated the former couple had amicably decided that a divorce is the right move to take considering their differences
‘Happy’ for her: Furthermore, the source also noted that the singer-songwriter’s loved ones are ‘happy’ that she is taking the steps in her personal life to do what is best for her
‘Things had been going really well for Ariana and Dalton since they got married,’ they said. ‘But unfortunately, they hit a rough patch a few months ago and haven’t been able to recover.’
Previously, the former couple took their relationship public in February 2020 and got engaged less than a year later.
The songstress had tied the knot with Gomez at her Montecito mansion in May 2021 after being together for over a year.
Before her romance with Gomez, Grande was briefly engaged to Pete Davidson, whom she dated for about four months.
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