Ariana Grande [1] is reportedly dating a new man: her "Wicked" costar Ethan Slater. People [2] reported the news on 20 July, while TMZ [3] was first to break the news. Grande and Slater's news comes days after fans learned the singer has separated from husband Dalton Gomez. [4] Reps for Grande and Slater did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR's request for comment.
Slater, who plays Boq in the two "Wicked" films, [5] first rose to fame for playing SpongeBob in "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical" back in 2017. He was nominated for a Tony for his role, but the show closed in September 2018.
Slater, 31, married his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, back in 2018. They welcomed a son in 2022. On their wedding anniversary in November 2022, Slater posted a tribute to her on Instagram [6] and wrote, "My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet." For Mother's Day [7] this May, he shared photos [8] of their son and wrote, "Happy first Mother's Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world. - from me and this little guy."
Grande, 30, married Gomez back in 2021. A source told People, "Ariana and Dalton separated in January. She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife."
This weekend, Grande was spotted at Wimbledon [9] with another one of her "Wicked" costars, Jonathan Bailey. "Wicked" director John Chu posted on Instagram on 19 July that filming was "so close" to being finished before the SAG-AFTRA strike began [10], but that the film's release won't be delayed and he stands with the actors on strike, per The Hollywood Reporter [11].
