Who Is Ariana Grande's Boyfriend Ethan Slater? What We Know About Her 'Wicked' Costar

Ariana Grande has been a pop culture staple for nearly two decades, balancing her acting and music careers with constant time in the spotlight. Naturally, that means fans (and, yes, trolls) are always eager to dig into her personal life—from her latest real estate moves to her relationship status.

Lately, the buzz surrounding Grande has reached a whole new level, thanks to her role in the highly acclaimed movie adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, Wicked. Grande takes on the part of Glinda, the bubbly (and very pink) Good Witch, starring alongside Broadway powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (the very green wicked witch of the west). With all eyes on Wicked, the spotlight on Grande has been intense—especially after the news broke that she’s been dating one of her co-stars.

So, who is Ariana Grande's boyfriend, Ethan Slater? Let’s break down everything we know about him and a look back at her dating history.

Ariana Grande's dating history has certainly been a whirlwind, with a string of high-profile relationships over the years. She dated The Good Wife alum Graham Phillips from 2008 to 2011, followed by The Janoskians star Jai Brooks (2012–2013) and The Wanted singer Nathan Sykes (2013).

In 2014, Grande confirmed her relationship with rapper Big Sean after months of speculation, calling him “one of the most amazing men in the whole world” in an interview with The Telegraph at the time. Though their romance was short-lived, ending in 2015, Grande later referenced their breakup in her hit “Thank U, Next,” saying, “Thought I'd end up with Sean / But he wasn’t a match.”

After Big Sean, Grande dated backup dancer Ricky Alvarez, whom she was with during the infamous donut-licking incident in 2015. Their relationship ended in 2016, but they remained on good terms, with Grande also making reference to him in “Thank U, Next,” saying, "Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh."

From 2016 to 2018, Grande was in a relationship with rapper Mac Miller. The couple split in May 2018, and shortly after, Grande paid tribute to Miller following his tragic death in September of that year, People reported.

In 2018, she began a whirlwind romance with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson. The two got engaged just weeks after dating but ended their relationship in October 2018. Grande referenced the relationship in “Thank U, Next,” saying she was "so thankful" for him.

Grande was linked to Mikey Foster of Social House in 2019, after appearing in the “Boyfriend” music video together. The two were spotted hanging out and were confirmed to be dating in early 2020.

Grande gave marriage a try with real estate agent Dalton Gomez, and it was a whirlwind from the start. The couple first sparked romance rumors in February 2020 after they were spotted sharing a kiss during a night out with friends.

By May 2021, the two tied the knot in a sweet and intimate ceremony. “It was tiny and intimate—less than 20 people,” her rep shared with Us Weekly. “The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”

But after two years of marriage, the pair called it quits in July 2023, with insiders pointing to distance as a major factor (Grande had been in England filming Wicked at the time). By September 2023, the singer officially filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" and the split was finalized just one month later, Today reported.

Earlier in the year, while doing press for Wicked, Grande offered a rare comment on the relationship while on the Zach Sang Show, saying, "I feel like we don’t need to go into any specifics, but, of course, there’s like an insatiable frustration, inexplicable hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love and you and anything." She also mustered some fighting words in a Vanity Fair interview addressing the rumors of Slater's struggles post-divorce. “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it," she told Chris Murphy. “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.”

The name Ethan Slater might be new to some, but he’s been making waves in the entertainment world for over a decade. The Jewish American actor, singer and composer has been a standout in theater circles for years, and his role in the upcoming Wicked movie is poised to catapult him to an entirely new level of fame.

Slater first made headlines with his Tony-nominated performance as SpongeBob in The SpongeBob Musical in 2018. Beyond the stage, he’s appeared in hit TV shows like Law & Order: SVU, Murphy Brown, Instinct and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Even with these on-screen ventures, theater has remained his home base, with standout roles in Camelot (2019), Assassins (2021–2022), and Good Night, Oscar in Chicago. Most recently, he returned to Broadway in the revival of Spamalot before playing the Munchkin, Boq, in Wicked.

As for his personal life, Slater married his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, in 2018, and the pair welcomed their son in 2022. Their divorce was finalized in September 2024, per TMZ. And, hot tea—Jay published an essay about it in The Cut on December 19. "I really never thought I would get divorced," she writes. "Especially not just after giving birth to my first child and especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity. In this season of shock and mourning, over a year after the end of my marriage was made public, I deeply miss the life of invisibility I created for myself as a psychologist specializing in women’s mental health."

While the duo has kept their relationship extremely private, they're both staying busy. Grande has previously said she'll lean further in to acting as she takes a break from music, and since Wicked: For Good will premiere in November 2025, I expect we'll see Grande on the press circuit again next year alongside Cynthia Erivo. The first film has also racked up a slew of nominations, including Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for Grande. Meanwhile, Slater has a horror film, The Designer, currently in post-production with no release date.

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