Ariana Grande has dated some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, from Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson to the late rapper Mac Miller. She was married to real estate agent Dalton Gomez for about two years, but the couple announced their separation in 2023 and divorced shortly after.
Most recently, the “Positions” singer has been tied to Ethan Slater, her costar in the forthcoming film adaptation of Wicked. The American actor and singer is best known for playing the title role in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical (for which he received a Tony nomination), but this November in part one of Wicked, we will see Slater portray Boq, a Munchkinlander man in love with Grande’s character, Glinda.
Since the start of their relationship, Grande and Slater have been making headlines, even though they’ve tried to keep things under wraps. So what do we know about this coupling? Read on for the entire timeline.
October 30, 2024: Ethan says public criticism of their relationship was “really difficult.”
Speaking with GQ, Slater addresses the intense public reaction over the last year to his romance with Grande.
“Obviously, it was a really super big year,” he tells the magazine. “I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public. 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.”
He continues, “But, of course, it was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing, and I’m just really excited.” Of Grande’s performance in the Wicked movie-musical adaptation, he says,“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.”
September 30, 2024: Ariana defends Ethan from rumors.
Grande opens up about navigating the early days of her relationship with Slater from rumors in the tabloids and on social media. “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it,” she says in an interview with Vanity Fair. “That was definitely a tough ride.”
The narrative of Slater being someone who abandoned his wife and child couldn’t be further from the truth, Grande tells the outlet. “There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him,” she says, adding that she “will never go into certain details.”
She continues, “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.”
June 8, 2024: Ariana and Ethan enjoy a date at the Stanley Cup Final.
The two stars venture out to game one of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida. Pictures show them laughing and smiling while sitting next to each other, with Grande in a black sweatshirt and white skirt and Slater in a black and red zip-up jacket.
June 5, 2024: Ariana's brother, Frankie, opens up about Ethan.
While attending Gurus Magazine’s #30Voices30Days launch party in Los Angeles, Frankie Grande opens up to TooFab about Slater.
“I love him, he’s a very sweet guy. I've been a fan of him ever since seeing him in SpongeBob [the musical],” the Big Brother alum begins. “And I got to interview him when I was doing the SpongeBob SquarePants podcast. And the Broadway community is a tight-knit family.”
The Broadway star then gets candid about Slater’s relationship with the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer. “He’s a great guy. Ethan’s a wonderful guy,” Frankie says. “He’s very sweet. He’s very, very, very sweet. I just, I adore him. Honestly I’ve always just said this, all I want is for my sister to be happy, and when she’s happy I’m happy. So, I’m very happy.”
April 10, 2024: Ethan and Ariana match at CinemaCon.
Slater and the “Yes, And” singer attend CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas to promote Wicked. For the occasion, Grande wears a bright pink-and-white 3-D floral gown by Oscar de la Renta, and Slater matches her look in a light pink polo shirt.
The two pose for photos with their cast members and are photographed holding hands after leaving the event.
April 7, 2024: Ariana supports Ethan at his final Spamalot show.
The night the Spamalot revival has its final showing at the St. James Theatre in New York City, Grande squeezes in among the packed crowds to show support for her beau, who plays Prince Herbert / The Historian.
After the curtain closes, the pair are seen leaving the venue together, hand-in-hand. Grande wears a chocolate quilted puffer coat and light wash jeans with black toy pumps, while Slater sports a gray sweater and blue jeans with a cream baseball cap.
Grande also shows her support on Instagram, when she shares a picture of the cast to her story, and writes, “Congratulations to the most beautiful and talented and kindest cast and crew on a magnificent run.”
March 27, 2024: A source describes how Ethan is supporting Ariana after her album release.
Following the release of Eternal Sunshine on March 8, a source tells Entertainment Tonight how Slater is supporting Grande's career.
“Ariana is feeling great in general and super proud of her new album,” the source said. “Ethan has been by her side, supporting her both personally and professionally.”
January 12, 2024: Ariana releases “Yes, And?” single.
Kicking off the promotional cycle for her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, Grande releases the single “Yes, And?” which appears to call out critics who’ve commented negatively on her relationship with Slater.
“Now, I’m so done with caring / What you think, no, I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections / Or change my most authentic life,” one part of the song says. In the bridge, Grande adds, “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply / Your business is yours and mine is mine / Why do you care so much whose dick I ride?”
December 23, 2023: Ariana and Ethan have dinner in NYC with her dad.
Grande and Slater enjoy dinner at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan ahead of Slater’s Spamalot performance that night.
The two don’t dine alone though, as Grande’s father, Ed Butera, is seen joining them.
November 16, 2023: Ariana attends the premiere of Spamalot.
For the premiere of the Broadway revival of Spamalot, in which Slater plays the Historian/Prince Herbert, Grande looks elegant in a black velvet Loewe gown with a V-shaped strapless bust, which she pairs with tulle opera gloves from Paula Rowan.
She and Slater are not photographed together, but he does walk the red carpet in a black suit.
November 12, 2023: Ariana and Ethan see a showing of Gutenberg! The Musical!
The Broadway couple attend a showing of Gutenberg! The Musical! at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City with pals Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. The evening out is documented on Rannells’s Instagram account, where the third slide sees Grande posing in a gray sweater while holding a chocolate-brown puffer coat, and Slater in a striped sweater with blue jeans.
October 31, 2023: Ariana supports Ethan at Spamalot preview show in NYC.
Grande attends a preview showing of Spamalot at the St. James Theatre on Halloween nigh. She is seen leaving the show with a Playbill in hand.
October 4, 2023: Ariana and Ethan reportedly move in together.
A source tells Us Weekly the pair have reportedly moved in together. “Ethan informed his friends and soon-to-be ex-wife that he’s living with Ariana full-time in New York,” the insider says. “They’re really happy and really good for each other. All of her friends love him.”
September 26, 2023: Ariana and Ethan visit Disney World.
In videos obtained by TMZ, Grande and Slater are seen walking around Disney World, which the pair visit with close family and friends, including Grande’s mom, Joan, and her brother, Frankie.
For the Florida trip, Grande wears a black hoodie over a beige pleated skirt and dark tights, along with a black baseball cap, while Slater sports a black zip-up jacket and sweatpants with a tan baseball cap.
September 18, 2023: Ariana files for divorce from Dalton.
Two months after it’s announced that Grande and Gomez have quietly separated, the “Thank U, Next” singer files for divorce, which is quickly followed by a filing response from Gomez.
July 20, 2023: A source confirms Ariana and Ethan are dating.
A mere few days after news breaks that Grande has separated from her husband, a source confirms she is now dating her Wicked costar, Slater.
According to an insider report from People, the couple quickly bonded on set, with a source saying, “It was obvious on the set from early on … they were very sweet to each other and often seen laughing together.” The source adds, “Everyone just thought they were both happily married, though, and didn’t expect them to end up dating.”
However, the report adds that the couple’s romance didn’t blossom until Grande had separated from her husband and Slater had separated from his wife of four years, Lilly Jay (whom he also shares a child with).
July 17, 2023: Ariana splits from husband.
After two years of marriage, a source confirms to People that Grande and Gomez have quietly separated.
In the report, the insider says the pair have been separated for months and they are “quietly and lovingly working on their friendship.” The couple had celebrated their second wedding anniversary in May.
May 31, 2023: Ethan and Ariana film a Wicked scene together.
While details about the Wicked film have been kept very under wraps, a series of photos are released that see Grande and Slater holding each other’s arms while filming a scene together.
In the snap, Grande sports a lavender dress with matching Mary Jane pumps and a big bow on her head, while Slater wears a pinstripe blue suit-and-shorts set with a teal and orange shirt underneath and calf-length socks tucked into black boots.
March 27, 2023: Ethan and Ariana are photographed together on Instagram.
Michelle Yeoh (who portrays Madame Morrible in Wicked) posts a slideshow to Instagram from her Oscars party, in which the final image sees the Wicked cast seated around a dinner table, and Slater and Grande seated next to each other.
In her caption, the Oscar-winning actor writes, “Thkq Davis Unger and MO for such a Fab fab surprise of an evening 😘😘😘✨.”
December 7, 2022: Ethan joins the cast of the Wicked movie.
Slater and Grande presumably first meet in December 2022, when the Broadway actor joins the cast of Jon M. Chu’s film adaptations of Wicked. (The film is being split into two parts, one being released in November 2024 and the other in November 2025.) On the same day it’s announced Slater has joined the cast, Chu confirms that filming has officially begun on the project.
