Ariana Grande has not filed for divorce from her husband, Dalton Gomez. She is also said to have moved on with a new man. Ethan Slater, 32, is his name, and she knows him from work. (Isn’t that always how it goes? Even celebrities, it appears.)
And, while Slater has been having a blast with Grande, he wasn’t exactly a household name before their relationship was revealed by TMZ on Thursday morning.
So, who is Ethan Slater, and when did he meet Grande? Here are some key facts about the man who could theoretically be the next Mr. Ariana Grande.
He’s a ‘Wicked’ character
In “Wicked,” Slater co-stars with Grande as Boq, a university friend of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) and the love interest of Nessarose (Marissa Bode). The production, the first installment of which is set to premiere in November 2024, began filming in the United Kingdom on Valentine’s Day this year.
Grande and Gomez, who announced their divorce after two years of marriage on Monday, reportedly split in January (they married in May 2021), leaving the “Thank U, Next” singer technically free to date by the time “Wicked” production began. TMZ also reported that Gomez has been dating.
According to Us Weekly, he married a high school sweetheart of a singer Slater and singer Lilly Jay in 2012. They moved to New York from Maryland in 2014, married in 2018, and had a baby boy last year. According to Us, Slater and Jay appeared to be doing well last autumn, based on an anniversary Instagram post in November in which he wrote of her, “My best friend.” 10 years together, 4 years married. And this is without a doubt the best (and most bizarre) year yet.”
And that appears to be the case now — but Grande and Slater “didn’t start dating until both were broken up with their significant others,” according to ET.
The two began dating “recently,” according to the source, but Page Six reported that Slater was seen with Grande’s arm around him in a photo taken at a “Wicked” cast celebration in March.
He has a Broadway background
Slater received a Tony nomination for his performance as SpongeBob SquarePants in the Broadway musical adaptation of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” which premiered in December 2017 and ran until September 2018. He and actor friend Nick Blaemire also wrote a show called “Edge of the World,” the soundtrack to which was released as a concept album in 2021.
(That’s not to be confused with the 2021 movie “Edge of the World,” which starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Dominic Monaghan. Completely different.) Slater and Blaemire sing on all 13 tracks on the album.
“In Edge of the World, when young Ben and his father Henry move to a remote patch of land in rural Alaska, Ben uses his imagination to cope with his new surroundings,” according to the show’s summary on Broadway Records. “However, as he learns more about the events that led to his isolation, the line between lie and reality begins to blur.” It’s a sprawling, handcrafted fable about the world we inherit and the one we create for ourselves.”
He/him are Slater’s pronouns
In one of his YouTube videos, “he/him” was right there on the screen. You are now aware. He joined YouTube in 2012, the same year he and Jay started dating.
Slater also has more than 84,000 Instagram followers, which pales in comparison to Grande’s 377 million. Nobody can look at Slater’s Instagram without his permission: After news of his dating life went viral, he decided to keep it private. All Grande did this week was delete photos of her soon-to-be ex-husband from her Instagram.
He and Grande have compatible astrological signs — or Slater is a Gemini. Grande’s zodiac sign is Cancer. It could work, depending on your astrologer, but it sounds like it could be a difficult match in the long run.
“These two signs approach the world in such disparate ways that they must be able to understand and accept one another’s differences,” Astrology.com writes, adding that Gemini’s “chivalrous nature and silver tongue” may entice the “sensitive, emotional” Cancer out of her shell faster than usual. Gemini appears to want to get down to freaky business as soon as possible, whereas Cancer simply wants a hug from her honey.
According to the website, Slater will be the one to call it quits when the relationship comes to an end.
“While the two signs will have a few laughs together and share a great sense of humour,” Pinkvilla says, “their relationship will not be ideal.” This is because, while Cancer’s humility and kindness will astound Gemini, the air sign seeks freedom, which may never be found given Cancer’s clingy nature.”
Don’t blame the messenger; it’s the stars speaking.
