How Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater Went From "Wicked" Costars to Lovers

On. Dec. 7, 2022, Variety reported that Slater had been cast as Boq in "Wicked." His character is a Munchkin man who is the love interest of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo)'s younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode). However, he secretly has feelings for Grande's character, Glinda. The same day Slater's casting was announced, the film's director, Jon M. Chu, confirmed on Instagram that "Wicked" had begun production in London.

After Michelle Yeoh won her first Oscar for Best Actress, her manager, David Unger, threw a party for her in London to celebrate the big achievement. The following day, the "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star shared photos from the festivities on Instagram, which confirmed that several of her "Wicked" castmates attended the event, including Grande and Slater. The pair were photographed sitting beside each other in a booth alongside Erivo.

At the time, fans didn't suspect that Grande and Slater were anything more than friends. However, the Daily Mail later reported on Aug. 3 that the stars had begun seeing each other months before their relationship went public.

Fans first began to suspect that a breakup was on the horizon for Grande and Gomez when the "Positions" singer was photographed without her wedding ring at the Wimbledon men's singles final.

A day after their breakup rumors spread online, TMZ reported that Grande and Gomez were "heading toward divorce" following their quiet separation in January. Although the couple had tried to rekindle their romance "a few months back," they ultimately couldn't make their relationship work and broke up.

In a follow-up report, TMZ claimed Grande and Gomez began to drift apart once Covid restrictions were lifted. "[Gomez] was taken aback by Ariana's celebrity. He had not dealt with her schedule, the paparazzi, and the various opportunities that took her out of L.A," the outlet said. According to TMZ, the pair's marriage began to crumble even more once Grande moved to London to film "Wicked."

All hopes of Grande and Gomez getting back together went down the drain once TMZ reported that the singer had moved on with Slater, whom she apparently began dating while filming "Wicked." A source told ET that Grande and Slater struck up a romance after they had both become single. "Ariana and Ethan recently started dating. They have a lot in common and have a lot of fun," a source told the publication. "They didn't start dating until both were broken up with their significant others."

According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Slater officially filed for divorce from Jay on July 26. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, began dating in 2012 and then tied the knot in 2018. After four years of marriage, Slater and Jay became first-time parents when they welcomed their son in 2022.

After news of their divorce went public, Jay told Page Six that she was focusing on being "a good mom" amid her split from Slater. She also seemingly shaded Grande by saying, "[Ariana's] the story, really. Not a girl's girl. My family is just collateral damage."

After two years of marriage, Grande and Gomez officially filed for divorce from each other on Sept. 18, according to TMZ. The singer reportedly cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason behind her and Gomez's breakup. Although their date of separation was listed as Feb. 20, Grande and Gomez apparently waited to divorce because they wanted to take their time "to iron out" the details. "They've been really caring and respectful of one another every step of this process," a source told TMZ.

On Sept. 25, Grande and Slater stepped out in public for the first time as a couple. The celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi shared photos and videos of the pair walking around Disney World. Grande and Slater appeared to have their arms wrapped around each other as they made their way around the park. "They went with a big group of friends as well as her mom and brother," a source told People about the couple's outing. "[Grande and Slater are] really happy and really good for each other." The insider also said that Grande's friends all "love" Slater.

According to an early October Us Weekly report, a source claimed, "Ethan informed his friends and soon-to-be ex-wife Lily Jay that he's living with Ariana full-time in New York."

In a video filmed by Instagram user @jimglaub, Grande was spotted smiling and cheering in the audience at Slater's first preview performance of "Monty Python's Spamalot" on Broadway.