After her split from husband Dalton Gomez earlier this year, Ariana Grande has reportedly moved on with Broadway alum Ethan Slater. Sources close to the “Thank U, Next” singer confirm to PEOPLE that Grande and her upcoming film adaptation of Wicked costar are now dating.
The 30-year-old singer and 31-year-old actor first began seeing each other after Grande separated from Gomez in January. Additionally, Slater is reportedly also separated from his own wife, though neither star’s representatives have responded for comment at this time.
Grande is set to take on Glinda in Universal’s film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, while Slater will play Boq, an important love interest in the story as a whole. Production of the movie began last year, with its release originally planned for November 2024 – though it is unclear yet how the current SAG-AFTRA strike may affect that goal.
Though the couple have since parted ways, Grande and Gomez were married for almost two years before their recent separation. According to sources, however, both have since quietly and lovingly worked on their friendship in the months following.
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez’s long-distance marriage was a key contributor in their eventual breakup, according to an insider. Despite leading a happy life together for several years in Los Angeles, the couple’s relationship was strained when Grande had to leave for England to work on her movie Wicked.
“She wanted to build a life with Dalton,” the source said. “His career requires him to stay in LA and his demanding schedule only allowed him to visit her occasionally while she was away. That made it difficult for them to sustain their marriage.”
Though it ultimately didn’t last, the insider claims that Grande still speaks fondly of her former partner. “She is still full of admiration for Dalton and will always have nothing but kind words to say about him. He has always been her top supporter through thick and thin.”
Actor Ethan Slater recently became a father after welcoming a son with high school sweetheart Lilly Jay. With great fanfare, the Tony-nominated actor for his role in the musical ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ announced the news of the new arrival on social media at the start of the year.
The pair met back in 2012 when Slater was an apprentice theatre actor and, in 2018, they tied the knot. It remains unknown when the couple separated.
Slater’s big break came when he had the luck to audition for the ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ musical, which earned him a nomination for a Tony Award the same year. On narrating this experience, he shared that it was “a stroke of luck” and little did he expect the world of Broadway stardom to follow.
Now, life has taken a turn as Slater embarks on fatherhood as well as continuing his successful showbiz career. What lies ahead is yet to be revealed but we are excited to see what the future holds!