Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s Complete Relationship Timeline

Ariana Grande has been very busy over the last few years as she released a new album and dedicated many months to filming the two-part film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked. While on set, she met co-star Ethan Slater, who plays the Munchkin Boq. Grande and Slater started off as friends and later fell in love.

Slater is a musical artist himself, though he’s known more for his Broadway performances, including a recent role on the revival of Spamalot. Grande and Slater have been supportive of each other over the last year, especially during their ongoing Wicked press tour.

Get to know their relationship history so far, below.

In late 2022, Wicked began filming in the U.K. When Grande was cast as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, she was married to real estate developer Dalton Gomez. She and Slater met while working on the project, at which time the actor was married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay. Their first child was born in early 2022.

Though it would be some months before the public would hear about it, Grande and Gomez split early in the new year, according to TMZ.

The TMZ report about Grande’s breakup was released in July, and People confirmed it soon after. TMZ wrote that she and Gomez were “heading toward divorce.”

Entertainment Tonight spoke with an insider, who revealed they had tried to reconcile, but their relationship no longer worked. “Dalton went to Europe recently to be with Ariana and try to work things out between them,” the source said. “But it just wasn’t working. They were having issues for a while, but they are trying to be as respectful as they can and protect each other’s privacy through this breakup.”

That same month, sources told People that Grande had “recently” started dating Slater, who was also single after he and his partner broke up.

“Ariana and Dalton separated in January. She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife,” the source stated.

Another source told Us Weekly, “Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other, but they have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other’s company.”

On July 26, Slater officially filed for divorce from Lilly Jay, as reported by Us Weekly.

The new couple was spotted at Disney World in Orlando, walking hand-in-hand. An insider told the Daily Mail that Grande and Slater were living together in New York.

Gomez and Grande settled their divorce in October.

“There is still a strong mutual love and respect between Ariana and Dalton, and they wanted to make sure everything was done right in lockstep with one another,” a source told TMZ.

A source confirmed Us Weekly that Grande and Slater were living together.

“Ethan informed his friends and soon-to-be ex-wife [Lilly Jay] that he’s living with Ariana full-time in New York,” the source said. “They’re really happy and really good for each other. All of her friends love him.”

On October 21, Grande and Slater were photographed at the Mandarin Oriental hotel sharing some PDA and wine. On Halloween, Grande attended the first preview of Slater’s Spamalot revival as a show of support. People reported that Grande had already seen tech rehearsals for the show and “has plans to go again.”

“She was so sweet last night, taking pictures with fans and gushing about how much she was enjoying the performances,” an insider said. “She’s a theater kid at her core, so you see she really feels at peace being around Broadway.”

In an Instagram dump, Grande paid tribute to Slater with a Christmas tree can-of-Spam ornament:

A few days before Christmas, they were seen going out to dinner with Grande’s father. Just before the New Year, a source told People that Grande is “serious” about Slater.

“She loves being with him,” the source said, adding, “It’s a very normal relationship.”

Grande shared an Instagram Story that same day addressing criticism of her relationship.

“I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me,” she wrote. “I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life.”

Grande’s first solo single “Yes, And?” is released, and the lyrics seem to similarly address people’s interest in her relationship with Slater.

“Don’t comment on my body, do not reply,” she sings. “Your business is yours and mine is mine. Why do you care so much whose dick I ride?”

In a rare public appearance, Grande and Slater were photographed at the Stanley Cup Finals at the Amerant Bank Arena in Florida. That same month, she released the music video for her new song “The Boy Is Mine,” which featured a star-studded cast including Penn Badgley, Brandy, and Monica. Grande played Catwoman in the video who is in pursuit of Badgley’s Mayor Max Starling. The song is believed to be about Slater.

Grande spoke to Vanity Fair about the tabloids’ inaccurate portrayal of her relationship with Slater. “It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,” she said of navigating her personal life over the years. “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.”

The “popular narrative” those publications presented wasn’t what actually happened between her and Slater, she shared: “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it. That was definitely a tough ride.”

She praised Slater overall, saying, “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bullshit tabloid can rewrite in real life.”

Slater touched on Grande in his GQ interview, praising his girlfriend’s talent. “Ari’s Ari, and she’s amazing,” he said of working with her. “She’s a comedian who’s also got this crazy voice that can do anything.” He added, “My unbiased opinion is that she’s one of the best comedians that’s been in a movie in a long time. She’s a genius.”

He was also asked about the experience of falling in love with her while making Wicked. That’s where he touched on the changes in his own personal life during that period.

“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,” he said. “There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love. So just to address that part of it, that feels really hard.

“But, of course, it was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing, and I’m just really excited. I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this. She’s poured herself into it. I’m really proud that I got to be there for that part of it, and I’m really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did.”

Slater and Grande attended the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked together on November 9. At one point, Grande fixed Slater’s bow tie in front of photographers. The snaps offered a rare moment of public affection between the private couple.

Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.