On July 17th, 2023, Ariana Grande was seen without her wedding ring at Wimbledon 2023. TMZ reported that they have been separated since January. They also said they had tried to work it out but decided to spit up. According to Peoples Magazine, Ariana spent a lot of time in the U.K. for the filming of Wicked while Dalton was a real estate agent who stayed in Los Angeles. The article stated that “Dalton is focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles. It’s been an issue for them. Dalton’s career is demanding, and he can’t leave Los Angeles often. So when Ariana started filming Wicked in England, they were in for a long-distance marriage.” After people learned about the separation, Ariana deleted the marriage photos of her and Dalton from her Instagram.
A few days after Ariana and Dalton’s split became public, fans speculated that Ariana Grande and her co-star Ethan Slater were dating. TMZ shared, “She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife.” The article added, “Ari and Ethan are just trying to lay low and be respectful of their exes as they pursue this new relationship.”
People reported that on July 20th, 2023, Ethan Slater and his wife, Liliy Jay, got a divorce. Ethan and Lily have been together since 2012 and married since 2018. During this time, they just had a baby in August 2022. Many people began to think that Ariana was the main reason for their divorce.
Just after their divorce, Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater are officially dating. It was reported that they had an instant connection after meeting on the Wicked set. According to People, “It was obvious on the set from early on that they were very sweet to each other and often seen laughing together.”
Shortly after their relationship was confirmed, Ethan’s ex-wife, Liliy Jay, contacted Page Six to talk. Lily says, “My family is just collateral damage.” She added that “Ariana is not a girls’ girl.” Lily is mainly focused on raising her 11-month-old and being a good mom.
In August, the Daily Mail reported that Ariana went on double dates with Ethan Slater and his ex-wife, Liliy Jay. Other cast members saw them out. Paige Six said that Liliy and Ethan both met Ariana’s family. On September 26, 2023, Ariana and Ethan were spotted at Disneyland on a date. Both were dressed in hoodies and baseball hats. They went with many friends, including her mom and brother.
Nothing interesting came out in September except for spotting them at Disneyland until October. On October 4th, Us Weekly revealed that Ariana and Ethan lived together in NYC. The article stated that Ethan told his friends and ex-wife that he was living with Ariana Grande, that they were happy together, and that all her friends loved him.
Towards the end of the year, nothing came out between them. Then, on June 8th, 2024, Ethan and Ariana are shown at the Wicked premiere, where Ethan helps Ariana with her gown.
The Wicked premiere was the last we heard of their relationship. Many fans are divided on whether they support the relationship or not. One side of the fandom says that as long as she’s happy, they don’t care, while the other side debates that she broke up a family.
