Ethan Slater Addresses "Difficult" Rumors About Ariana Grande Romance

But Ethan also alluded to the ringer the couple went through during their relationship’s onset. News of the pair’s romance came on the heels of his divorce from his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay and Ariana’s divorce from Dalton Gomez—to whom she tied the knot in 2021—which then, in turn, became fuel for speculation online. 

“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 admitted. “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.”

The 32-year-old is ultimately choosing to let him and his truth about the whole ordeal sit in silence. 

“And then getting things wrong about the people you love,” he continued. “Just to address that part of it feels really hard.”

Meanwhile, Ariana expressed that the news cycle about her relationship with Ethan was “disappointing.”

“That was definitely a tough ride,” the 31-year-old told Vanity Fair in a September interview, going on to defend Ethan’s reputation. “There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him. No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about.”

As for what was said about her, Ariana has moved past letting it get under her skin.

“It’s taken me a lot of hard work to be able to last this long and to heal certain parts of my relationship to fame and to what I do because of these tabloids that have been trying to destroy me since I was 19 years old,” she said. “I’m 31 years old and I’m not a perfect person, but I am definitely deeply good, and I’m proud of who I’m becoming.”