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Ethan Slater Addresses His Relationship With Ariana Grande for the First Time
Ariana Grande’s head is reeling over Ethan Slater’s new pics.
Indeed, the “we can’t be friends” singer left a comment on her boyfriend’s Dec. 17 Instagram post, featuring a series of black and white vintage-style photos the SpongeBob SquarePants actor took for Schon! Magazine.
And all she wrote was a simple, “the Buster Keaton of today,” referencing the iconic silent film comedian of the early 1900s.
Ariana went public with her relationship to her Wicked co-star in July 2023 after separating from her ex-husband Dalton Gomez. And since their swankified new movie hit the big screen, the musical has brought this duo even closer.
The “Positions” singer—who stars in the film as Glinda opposite Ethan’s Boq—even brought Ethan along for a special screening of the stage-to-screen adaptation in Florida for none other than her grandmother Marjorie “Nonna” Grande.
“Flew to Boca for a day to watch with Nonna,” Ariana wrote on her November Instagram Story, along with a photo of her sitting beside her grandma and brother Frankie Grande. “At the movie theater I grew up going to every weekend, Cinemark 20 in Boca.”
And along with a glimpse of the 31-year-old’s hometown and childhood inspirations, Ethan secured a quick photo credit in Ariana’s post, “Photo by @ethanslater.”
After all, Ethan, 32, has never been shy when it comes to gushing over his girlfriend’s genius on the screen.
“She's incredible,” he told E! News in a November joint interview with Marissa Bode. “She's not a singer who wants to be an actress or an actress who wants to be a singer. She's just the best of both.”
Ethan—who shares a 2-year-old son with his ex Lilly Jay—even made sure to share how Ariana and her co-star Cynthia Erivo made the filming experience one to remember for the whole cast.
“They set the tone for all of us,” he continued. “It felt familial. It felt like we were all in it together and that started with them.”
“They're a force together,” he emphasized, and Marissa—who plays Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose—could only agree, sharing that their familial bond translated directly to their performances in the film.
“They have such a strong bond that I admire so much in the movie,” the 24-year-old explained. “These young girls are just figuring themselves out and translating into who they are as people—having a strong and loving bond to one another. It's really cool to see and it's really special."
And Cynthia confirmed that all of this was artful and intentional, sharing a sister-like bond with her on-screen frenemy.
“The crux of this particular piece is the relationship,” the Tony Award winner told E!. “If we couldn't be there for each other as Cynthia and Ari, then how could we possibly be there for the characters Elphaba and Glinda?”
To look back at how the good vibes on the Wicked set brought Ariana and Ethan together, keep reading…
Just A Little Bit Of Her Heart: September 2023
After a source close to the couple—who met on the set of Wicked—told E! News they had “recently” begun dating in July 2023, Grande subtly supported Slater by “liking” a photo announcing his role in Spamalot on Broadway in early September 2023.
Later that same month, the two were seen out together for the first time at, naturally, Grande’s favorite place on Earth, Disney World. In photos shared by TMZ, the duo walked around the Florida theme park arm-in-arm.
A source close to Grande and Slater told E! News after the excursion, “they went with a big group of friends including her mom and brother and are really happy and really good for each other.”
KHAP / BACKGRID
It’s Supernatural: October 2023
The costars engaged in some subtle PDA at dinner in New York City in photos obtained by TMZ. A few weeks later, Grande stepped out to support Slater during previews of Spamalot on Broadway where he played The Historian/Prince Herbert.
Grande was gleaming as she made her way out of St. James Theater alongside friends, sporting a paper crown from the show and clutching a Playbill.
Ariana Grande/Instagram
She Loves to Seem Him From Her POV: November 2023
Grande later attended the opening night of Spamalot and shared an Instagram post highlighting her evening. In the photos, Grande sported an elegant black dress and accessorized with sheer black gloves and a Spamalot cup. The last slide of her carousel included a nod to the cast—which included Slater—with a message reading, “Happy Opening of Broadway Show.”
Elsa/Getty Images
Doing Winter Things: December 2023-January 2024
In a rare life update on Instagram in Dec. 2023, Grande showed off some of her holiday celebrating a photo of a wall Christmas tree with a Spam can ornament. Fans quickly pointed out the connection to Slater, as Spamalot was running on Broadway at the time.
On Dec. 23, 2023, the couple stepped out with Grande’s father Ed Butera for dinner in New York City.
That same month, Grande teased new music and would go on to announce Eternal Sunshine in early 2024. Although no songs are explicitly about Slater on the album, fans pointed out that the album’s initials, E.S., coincidentally—or not—match the initials of Ariana’s boyfriend.
Frankie Grande / Instagram
Love Isn’t Completely Off The Table: Summer 2024
In March 2024, Ariana and ex Dalton Gomez finalized their divorce. That summer, Grande’s brother Frankie Grande gave her new romance his stamp of approval.
“I love him,” Frankie said of Slater in a June 2024 interview with TooFab. “He’s a very sweet guy.”
A few days after Frankie’s interview went live, Grande and Slater attended the 2024 Stanley Cup final in Florida together—marking their most public joint outing since their romance debut.
Don Arnold/WireImage
This Is the True Story: September 2024
In an interview with Vanity Fair published in Sept. 2024, Grande addressed her romance with Slater publicly for the first time—pushing back on the speculation of the couple's romantic timeline overlapping with their previous relationships.
“It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,” she told the outlet. “Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did.”
Grande went on to defend Slater against any negativity thrown at him.
“There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him,” Grande added. “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.”
That same month, Slater finalized his divorce with ex Lilly Jay—with whom he shares a young son.
Saverio Marfia/Getty Images
Imperfect For Each Other: November 2024
A month after he showed support for Grande’s October 2024 Saturday Night Live hosting gig, Slater addressed their relationship—and the scrutiny surrounding it—for the first time.
“It was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing,” Slater reflected on falling in love with Grande while filming Wicked in a Oct. 2024 GQ interview. “I’m just really excited. I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this. She’s poured herself into it.”
Still, Slater admitted he found it difficult to wait for people to like him again as they clung to their papers and pens.
“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 added. “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.”
But he was able to block out the noise somewhat. As he added of Grande’s song “Imperfect For You,” which is rumored to be about him, “I love that song.”
Media-Mode / SplashNews.com
Magical Moments: November 2024
One short day in the Emerald City, or rather in the Australian city of Sydney, Grande and Slater attended a press event for Wicked and wrapped their arms around each other.
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