Why Ethan Slater's Ex-Wife Was Blindsided By His Rumored Romance With Ariana Grande
Highlights
- Ariana Grande reportedly split from her husband Dalton Gomez and was seen without her wedding ring, leading to speculation about their marriage.
- Arian Grande is now rumored to be dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, who is separated from his wife. Slater filed for divorce after news of their relationship leaked.
- Ethan Slater's estranged wife, Lilly Jay, is devastated by their split and has publicly criticized Ariana Grande.
In July 2023, it was revealed that Ariana Grande had split from her husband Dalton Gomez after she was seen attending Wimbledon without her wedding ring. Reports soon emerged that the American pop starwas rumoured to have quickly moved on to her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, and many were surprised – including, Slater’s wife.
Us Weekly confirmed that there was a romantic relationship between the co-stars, "Ariana and Ethan are dating; however things are fairly new. Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife,” a source told the outlet. Ethan filed for divorce after the news of his relationship with Grande leaked.
Slater had previously been married to his childhood sweetheart with whom he had a child last year. His estranged wife, Lilly Jay is said to be “devastated” and that “this is not the future she had in mind.” Lilly has publicly slammed Ariana, saying she’s “not a girl’s girl.” She told Page Six, “My family is just collateral damage.”
A source opened up about their split, “She's doing her best to get back on her feet. She's incredibly smart and driven...she is truly the best mother.”
Ariana Grande's Shock Split From Husband
The "7 Rings" singer reportedly separated from her husband in January 2023, any photos from their wedding have since been removed from her Instagram. The pair began dating in January 2020 and announced their engagement just 11 months later. The couple wed in an intimate ceremony at their home in Montecito, California in 2021.
There's been speculation about their marriage since Ariana was seen at Wimbledon last weekend without her wedding ring. She was reportedly last seen wearing her ring in April at Jeff Goldblum's London concert.
A source told the Daily Mail that Grande and her estranged husband have "nothing but respect" for each other. The source added, "There was no cheating, no resentment between them, the marriage just simply didn't work out. These things happen".
It was recently reported that Grande and Gomez had “been having some issues for months” leading up to their breakup. “They were having issues before she left for Wicked filming [in London] that they couldn’t resolve, and the distance did not help,” a source told the outlet. “They haven’t been speaking and are separated, and a divorce is likely." Rumors also suggest they struggled after she went back to work after the Covid restrictions were lifted. He allegedly couldn't cope with her international stardom, including the paparazzi and her security.
"She was happy in Los Angeles for a couple of years. She wanted to make a life there with Dalton," a source told People after their split was made public. "He is super focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles." Gomez currently works in real estate and his career demanded he stayed in LA, which became a problem when Ariana had to move to London to film Wicked.
Though the relationship ultimately "didn't work," the insider admits that "Ari has nothing but kind words to say about Dalton. During their marriage, he was her No. 1 fan."
Who Is Ethan Slater?
Ethan Slater started his career as an off-Broadway actor. He made his Broadway debut as the titular character in SpongeBob SquarePants from 2017 to 2018. He won a Drama Desk Award for the role and was nominated for a Tony.
He went on to appear in off-Broadway with roles in Camelot, Assassins and Goodnight, Oscar before joining Grande in the big screen adaptation of Wicked. He is joined by Grande, Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Erivo.
Slater and Grande met while filming Wicked together. The pair play Glinda the Good Witch and Boq, respectively, in the movie, which will premiere in November 2024. An insider told Us Weekly that the pair connected on set and weren't shy about their budding romance. “Ariana and Ethan weren’t careful,” the source revealed. “They’d hold hands on set in between takes. They were sloppy and not hiding it.”
After news of Slater's relationship with Grande became public, the Broadway star set his Instagram account to private.
Ethan Slater's Wife Blindsided By His Close Relationship With Ariana Grande
Ethan Slater's estranged wife Lilly Jay was allegedly "completely blindsided" by his relationship with the singer and actress just months after they welcomed their first child together.
Ethan and Slater were childhood sweethearts and married in 2018. The couple welcomed a son in 2022 and celebrated 10 years as a couple last November, just one month before he left to film Wicked in London
He had shared a post in May for Mother's Day praising Lilly Jay and his young son. "Happy first Mother's Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world," the actor wrote.
In November, Ethan celebrated his fourth wedding anniversary on Instagram, where he called his wife, "My best friend." The 31-year-old added, "4 years married, 10 years together."
TMZ's sources have claimed that Ethan did not start dating Ariana until after he and Lilly had separated. A source close to Grande denies he ended his marriage briefly before dating the singer, but an insider exclusively told Us Weekly, “Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce. Lilly never saw it coming!”
His estranged wife Lilly Jay reportedly feels Ethan has "abandoned his family" and "feels betrayed" following the news that he's dating Ariana Grande. TMZ reports that Ariana “used to hang out with both Ethan and Lilly” while they were still a married couple.
According to another inside source, Slater and Grande “were separated when they started dating and the relationship is recent.”
“It’s understandable that it's difficult to see an ex move on, especially in such a public way, and they are trying to be as respectful as possible,” the third source told the American outlet. Jay has not publicly commented on her marriage or Slater's new relationship.
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