One source said that Slater told his wife, Lilly, he wanted a divorce a few days before the news about him and Ariana broke.
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater met on the set of the musical Wicked. Their real-life relationship has been full of drama. More people have told TMZ and Us Weekly what Slater’s ex-wife Lilly Jay thinks about the relationship between Grande and Slater.
Slater and Jay have been together since high school and married in 2018. In August 2022, they had their first child. In November 2022 and, most notably, on Mother’s Day 2023, Slater posted tributes to Jay on Instagram. Grande even liked one of these posts.
A source close to the situation told TMZ that Grande and Slater are staying out of the spotlight on purpose while their ex-spouses deal with having both moved on. Grande is still married to Dalton Gomez, who is a real estate agent in Los Angeles.
“Understandably, Jay’s feelings are high, and it’s hard to see your ex move on, especially in such a public way,” a source said. “Her friends are trying to protect her.” “But Ari and Ethan are just trying to stay out of the way and be nice to their ex-girlfriends and boyfriends while they try to get back together.”
But sources have said that Jay is very sad. They told TMZ that Jay feels like Slater has completely abandoned his family and that she feels “betrayed and heartbroken.” TMZ said that Grande and Slater have been dating for “a few months.”
Us Weekly got a more heartbreaking account of the situation from a source who said that Slater and Jay just broke up. “Ethan told Lilly he wanted a divorce a few days before the news about him and Ariana got out,” a source said. “She didn’t see it coming!” A person close to Grande said this wasn’t true.
A third source said that they were already separated when Slater and Grande started dating. Understandably, it’s hard to see an ex move on, especially in such a public way, and they are trying to be as kind as possible.
The Wicked cast and crew must have known about Slater and Gomez. A source told Us, “Ariana and Ethan were not careful.” “Between takes, they’d hold hands on a set. They were messy and didn’t try to hide it.”
Entertainment Tonight said earlier this week that Gomez is also having trouble getting over the end of his two-year marriage to Grande. “After breaking up with Ariana, Dalton is having a hard time,” the source said. “It’s been hard for him because he wanted things to work out. He still loves and thinks of her as his partner, but she has moved on. Friends of Dalton are telling him to do the same.