Who Is Ethan Slater? What We Know About Ariana Grande's Reported New Flame

It looks like Ariana Grande might have a new beau in Ethan Slater. On July 17, fans were left shocked when it was announced that the "Positions" singer and her husband, Dalton Gomez, split after two years of marriage. The two former love birds initially tied the knot in May 2021. Since the news was announced, conflicting reports from insiders have run rampant regarding Grande and Gomez's breakup. While a source told People that the pair was "quietly and lovingly working on their friendship," another source told Us Weekly Gomez was "devastated" about the breakup despite them having issues long before agreeing to divorce.

To make the Grande and Gomez separation saga even more shocking, TMZ reported that Grande had officially moved on from her husband with her "Wicked" co-star Ethan Slater, who plays Boq in the upcoming movie musical. While the specific time stamps of Grande and Slater's relationship are foggy, sources claaimed that they had started dating months ago during the film's production in the UK. Join us as we take a deeper look into who Ethan Slater is.

Since making headlines as Ariana Grande's new flame, fans want to learn more about Ethan Slater. Unlike her soon-to-be ex-husband Dalton Gomez, Slater comes from an entertainment background, with acting credits in shows like "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Murphy Brown." However, the young talent got his official big break in 2016 when he made his Broadway debut as the beloved sea sponge in "SpongeBob Squarepants the Musical." "It's an honor that I didn't know I wanted. Playing Spongebob... it's amazing," he told Newsweek in 2018. "Getting to play him every day has sort of rubbed off on me and improved my life." During the show's short run on Broadway, Slater received praise from critics and attendees alike, which resulted in his Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical.

While the "Instinct" star didn't win the coveted accolade, he did take home the prestigious Drama Desk Award for Best Actor. "Thank you, this is incredible. I am thoroughly blown away," he told the crowd during his acceptance speech. Since landing his career-making role in "SpongeBob Squarepants the Musical," Slater has gone on to star in Off-Broadway shows including "Camelot" and "Assassins," and TV shows like "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Before Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater began their rumored relationship, the latter was married to Lilly Jay. In a 2018 interview with Broadway.com, the "Wicked" star revealed that he and Jay met right before they started high school. "We met at summer camp. She didn't go to the summer camp, but her brothers did. The story is a little too perfect — she came to visit her brother and her dad." Slater explained. Slater then revealed that after forming a friendship in high school, the two started dating when he began working on the "SpongeBob Squarepants" musical workshop. "We started dating within weeks of me doing the first SpongeBob workshop. She's been with me every step of the way," he added.

In November 2018, Slater and Jay took the next step in their relationship by tying the knot, per the Daily Mail. Then, in 2022, Slater surprised his Instagram followers when he announced that he and Jay had welcomed their first child. "Super vague post, but we have a baby now," he wrote of their son, per E! News. With the history of Slater and Jay's marriage spreading like wildfire online, a source released a statement to Us Weekly shutting down any cheating speculations that might arise. "Ariana and Ethan are dating; however things are fairly new. Ariana and Dalton [Gomez] split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife," the insider explained. "They have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other."