Ariana Grande and SpongeBob SquarePants star Ethan Slater are currently dating after meeting on set of Wicked, and people have questions. Mostly about their timeline, which has been deemed slightly 👀 by the internet due to both of them being married.
Sources have reeeeally hammered home the fact that both Ari and Ethan were separated from their spouses when they got together, but if you need an exact day-by-day breakdown of how their relationship fits in with their respective splits, we went ahead and organized the facts for you.
November 2022
Ethan writes a sweet anniversary post to his wife, Lilly Jay, saying, “My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best and most (*bizarre*) year yet.”
Please be advised that his Instagram account is currently private, so nope...no pics!
December 7, 2022
Wicked starts filming in London, meaning Ariana leaves Los Angeles and moves across the pond—entering into a long-distance marriage with Dalton Gomez.
January 2023
Dalton and Ariana separate, according to TMZ, but no one finds out until literally months later.
May 14, 2023
Ethan celebrates his wife Lilly Jay’s first Mother’s Day on Instagram, writing, “Happy first Mother’s Day, to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world, from me and this little guy.”
July 16, 2023
Two months later, Ariana shows up at Wimbledon and fans are quick to notice she’s not wearing her wedding ring.
That same day, TMZ reports “sources with direct knowledge” tell them Ariana and Dalton have “had marriage trouble of late… including a rough patch a few months ago.” The outlet also says their current “status” is unknown.
July 17, 2023
Literally one day later, TMZ reports that Ariana and Dalton have separated and are “heading for divorce.” The outlet adds they “have been separated since January” and they “tried a reconciliation” a few months back, but it “failed.”
TMZ notes the couple’s problems started “before” Ariana’s move to London.
This same day, three (3) sources spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the situation:
- “Ariana and Dalton tried to make things work, but ultimately they were just not a good fit. Dalton has been very private and low-key about their relationship with his work colleagues and hasn’t been talking a lot about their split.”
- “Ariana and Dalton’s friends have always been concerned by their whirlwind romance and felt their relationship would ultimately be short-lived. Their relationship has been rocky at different points, and they’ve had trouble making time for each other with scheduling issues.”
- “Ariana and Dalton have had issues for a while and tried working through them but couldn’t. Ariana has been filming Wicked overseas and working a lot. The couple ultimately decided to end things.”
TMZ then circles back with this revelation: “We’re told Dalton has been dating over the last few months, which was fine with Ariana.”
July 19, 2023
A source tells Us Weekly, “Dalton is really hoping to make things work with Ariana,” and “despite the rocky patches they’ve been through, he isn’t ready to give up on their marriage. He saw himself spending the rest of his life with Ariana and will do anything to get past this.”
July 20, 2023
Okay, now that we’ve set the stage with what’s going on with Dalton and Ari, the time has come to get back to this man:
TMZ is the first to report the news of Ethan and Ariana dating, casually noting that Ethan has been married to Lilly Jay since 2018 and they have a son together. Meanwhile, a People source confirms, “Ariana and Dalton separated in January. She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife.”
Over at Us Weekly, an insider goes to great lengths to make it clear Ethan and Ariana only started dating after they’d split from their respected partners: “Ariana and Ethan are dating; however, things are fairly new. Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife. Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other but they have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other’s company.”
And an Entertainment Tonight source goes to even greater lengths: “Ariana and Ethan recently started dating. They have a lot in common and have a lot of fun. They didn’t start dating until both were broken up with their significant others. Ariana and Dalton remain friends.”
July 21, 2023
Ethan goes private on Instagram due to fans trying to figure out WTF is going on and digging up all those previously mentioned posts about his wife.
This same day, a source tells Page Six that Lilly is “completely blindsided” by news of Ariana and Ethan dating, adding, “It’s horrible. They were high school sweethearts. They have a baby! She’s a wreck.”
This insider also thinks Ariana and Ethan’s vibes are the reason he and Lilly “suddenly” broke up “when nothing appeared wrong between them.”
July 22, 2023
A source tells Entertainment Tonight that Lilly is “devastated” and “this is not the future she had in mind,” but “she’s doing her best to get back on her feet. She’s incredibly smart and driven” and is “truly the best mother.”
July 25, 2023
A source tells Entertainment Tonight that Dalton—who is “having a hard time“still considers [Ariana] his partner, but she has moved on.” Awk.
Meanwhile, Us Weekly reports that Ethan told Lilly about Ariana (and said he wanted to split up) just days before the news went public. A source says, “Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce. Lilly never saw it coming!”
Another source notes, “Ariana and Ethan weren’t careful. They’d hold hands on set in between takes. They were sloppy and not hiding it.”
July 26, 2023
TMZ claims that Lilly feels like Ethan has “abandoned his family” and that they “aren’t” on good terms.
“It’s understandable that emotions are high and it’s hard seeing your ex move on, especially in such a public way, and her friends are trying to protect her,” one source says. “But Ari and Ethan are just trying to lay low and be respectful of their exes as they pursue this new relationship.”
This same day, Ethan officially files for divorce in New York. 😬 Oh, and an Us Weekly insider says Ethan and Ari are “very much in love,” although his friends are “worried she’ll break his heart.”
July 27, 2023
Lilly gives a statement to Page Six, saying, “[Ariana’s] the story really. Not a girl’s girl. My family is just collateral damage.”
Meanwhile, sources say Lilly is “telling Ethan and others that she only cares about protecting their child. She’s rightfully upset because her marriage fell apart, but Ariana and Ethan didn’t do anything wrong. Ethan is trying to take the high road and hopes he can resolve this situation for the sake of their child.”
Over on the Daily Mail, however, an insider claims that “Lilly hung out with Ethan and Ariana so many times. Ariana met their baby and even held him. They had dinners together in London—and Ariana told Lilly that she wanted to have a baby one day and that she couldn’t wait to start a family.”
This source also says Lilly found out about Ethan and Ariana after visiting him on set—but they made the decision to “put it behind them” and “work on” their marriage.
“There was a period when they were all going to try and work on their marriages and put the whole thing behind them,” the source says. “She thought they were happy. But that did not work out [because Ariana and Ethan] kept the affair going despite [that].”
July 29, 2023
TMZ reports that Ariana is giving Ethan “space to work things out” drama-wise with his ex Lilly Jay, and that they haven’t chilled in “several weeks.” That said, they are “100 percent still dating” and want to see each other!
August 2, 2023
Us Weekly reports that Ariana wants to go public with the relationship but has “been told it’s too soon to go public with him and to take things slower. She’s very aware of how she’s perceived by her fans, and she’s trying to be mature. [But] if it were up to her, she’d be seen with him tomorrow.”
August 3, 2023
A source tells the Daily Mail that Ari and Ethan were kissing in public before he’d ended things with Lilly. “They were sloppy on set. They were seen being all over each other while he was still supposedly happily married to Lilly. They were seen making out at a pub in Hampstead, and they were all over each other at Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar party [in March].”
Oh, and this: “Ariana and Dalton went on double dates with Ethan and Lilly several times—and they were seen out by cast members. Lilly and Ethan also met Ariana’s family together, including her mom and her brother.”
September 4, 2023
Sources tell People that Ari and Ethan are still together and that “while this entire situation has been blown out of proportion, it’s much different than what has been portrayed in public. They are just trying to navigate their new relationship in private.”
A close family friend also says, “People have tried to question the timeline. The truth is, Ariana and Ethan didn’t begin seeing each other until after both parties were separated, respectfully.”
September 6, 2023
Ethan posts on Instagram for the first time since...^^^ all this...and Ariana goes ahead and Likes it:
September 26, 2023
Ari and Ethan are seemingly spotted on a Disneyland date:
And a source tells the Daily Mail, “They went with a big group of friends including Ariana’s mom and brother. They are really happy and really good for each other. All of her friends love him.”
October 4, 2023
Ethan and Ari are living together! At least according to an Us Weekly source, who says, “Ethan informed his friends and soon-to-be ex-wife that he’s living with Ariana full-time in New York. They’re really happy and really good for each other. All of her friends love him.”
October 22, 2023
TMZ publishes photos of Ariana and Ethan enjoying a rare public date night in New York City, and says—per their sources—“he kept getting up from where she was first sitting (across from ES) to come be directly by his side, where she whispered sweet nothings into his ear and planted some smooches.”
October 31, 2023
Ariana shows up to support her man in his first preview of Spamalot! and, according to Daily Mail, wears a crown from the show. Love that for her.
November 12, 2023
Ariana and Ethan catch a showing of Gutenberg! The Musical! at the James Earl Jones Theater in NYC. They even give actual photographic evidence of their evening with stars Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells (ahem...swipe to slide 3):
Per E! News, Ariana also posts a snap of her signed playbill on IG Stories, writing, “Had the best time!”
November 14, 2023
A source tells Us Weekly, “Ethan and Ariana’s relationship is going very well and they’re both very involved in each other’s lives. Ethan’s met her family. And she’s met his family.”
Oh, and not only has Ariana’s entire family given Ethan “the stamp of approval,” her friend circle “adores him and thinks that he’s a perfect match for her,” noting that he’s “balanced, motivated, professional, extremely respectful of her and her boundaries, and her profession.”
November 16, 2023
Ariana steps out for the premiere of Spamalot looking gorgeous!
Meanwhile, Ethan hits the carpet:
December 21, 2023
Ariana gives fans a look at her Christmas tree, which features a “SPAM” ornament—a clear nod to Ethan’s role in Spamalot!
December 26, 2023
Ariana and Ethan are spotted on a rare outing together in NYC with Ariana’s dad. Page Six has the exclusive pics this way, if you’re curious. Which we all are.
December 29, 2023
A source tells People, “Ariana is serious with Ethan. She loves being with him.” They add that Ari and Ethan “mostly enjoy staying in,” have “a very normal relationship,” and “love to support each other in their work.”
January 12, 2024
Ari seemingly addresses critics of her relationship in lyrics to her new song “yes, and?” AHEM:
“Don’t comment on my body, do not reply / Your business is yours and mine is mine / Why do you care so much whose dick I ride?”
February 14, 2024
A source tells Us Weekly that Ethan and Lilly Jay are “still in the mediation phase” of their split and things “haven’t been finalized yet.”
Meanwhile, “Ethan and Ariana are living together at her place and are very happy, but he’s eager to get things finalized with the divorce. He wants the option to propose [to Ariana], so he’s doing everything he can to expedite things.”
February 26, 2024
Ariana makes an appearance on the Zach Sang Show to discuss her new album, Eternal Sunshine, and alludes to her ’ship with Ethan when talking about all of the public speculation re: their romance.
“We selectively remember that this is what the tabloids do to people, especially women, based on whether or not we like the person,” Ariana begins before adding, “We selectively remember that. We selectively leave space for humanness, for nuance. Like, they don’t leave space for that—well, they do for their friends and their family. It’s selective. But they turn it off when that aligns with the version of a person that they have in their head that they want to believe is true.”
The singer also notes that though she may want to set the record straight about the rumors having to do with her and Ethan, there isn’t “enough time” to address them all: “I feel like we don’t need to go into any specifics. But of course, there’s an insatiable frustration, an inexplicable, hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love and you.”
March 7, 2024
A source tells Us Weekly that Eternal Sunshine is a chance for Ariana to explain her side of the story with all this Ethan/Dalton drama.
“Ariana thinks these songs will provide a lot of insight for her fans,” a source says. “[It’s] her side of the story regarding Dalton and Ethan.” That said, another insider explains that ES is a “concept album,” adding that “Ariana is playing with different characters, some of the lyrics come from her personal life, but others are just her playing a fun character for her fans.”
MMMAY!
March 19, 2024
The Associated Press reports that Ariana and Dalton have finalized their divorce, noting that they had a prenup, and that Ari will make a one-time payment of $1,250,000 to Dalton and will pay up to $25k of his attorneys’ fees, and he’ll get half the proceeds from the sale of their home in Los Angeles. He also won’t get any future alimony.
March 27, 2024
Ethan and Ari are still going strong! A source tells Entertainment Tonight that "Ethan has been by her side, supporting her both personally and professionally. They're looking towards the future and everything that's in store for them as a couple and as individuals. Things have been getting more serious."
April 8, 2024
Ari and Ethan are spotted holding hands outside of Ethan's Broadway show, Spamalot.
April 10, 2024
Fellow Wicked actor Jeff Goldblum shares a selfie with none other than his costars Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, and Jonathan Bailey...and both Ariana and Ethan, obvi. 👀
May 28, 2024
Ari is spotted enjoying the first performance put on by Ethan in honor of his weeklong residency at Café Carlyle in New York.
"She was laughing at all of his jokes in between songs, and cheering for him after each song," a source dishes to People before adding, "He's extremely talented...The show was mostly about him and his love of music and theater, though he did steal a quick glance over to Ariana when he sang a line about being 'Lucky to be in love.' It was very cute."
"He did talk about Wicked, and at one point he acted like he was going to cover 'Defying Gravity' and it seemed like the crowd hoped Grande would join him onstage, but then he did a last-minute switch into 'If I Only Had a Heart' from the original Wizard of Oz movie. Everyone was laughing," the insider continues.
Apparently, the pop star seemed to be having a great night with a group of friends she was accompanied by: "She was so sweet, smiling at everyone who caught her eye, and having a nice dinner with a small group of friends in one of the banquettes at the back. It was a very intimate crowd, mostly full of theater fans. Nobody was bothering her."
June 8, 2024
Ari and Ethan make a rare public appearance during the Stanley Cup!
June 9, 2024
"Ariana is genuinely so happy with Ethan," a source tells Entertainment Tonight. "She feels very comfortable with him and is in love. Their relationship is serious, and their bond is organic. Ethan treats Ariana super well and knows her so well. It's not about external stuff with them. They just have a great time together and appreciate their time with each other."
July 29, 2024
Ari flashes her lock screen photo in a video for Vogue taken at the Olympics and fans are convinced it's a pic of her and Ethan Slater.
Annnnnd that brings us up to date. I think we can all agree the Wicked press tour should be Don’t Worry Darling levels of interesting!
