Weird Things About Ariana Grande And Ethan Slater's Relationship

When Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater started dating in 2023, their debut was messy — to say the least. Grande was exiting her marriage to Dalton Gomez after two short years of wedded bliss, and Slater had recently welcomed a child with his then-wife, Lilly Jay, earlier that year. Fans on the internet collectively lost their minds at the strange pairing of Grande and Slater, with many pointing out not only the rocky terrain on which they got started but also how out of Slater's league Grande is. However, the couple is still beating the odds and happily together heading into 2025.

Now that both Grande and Slater have officially divorced their exes, the duo hopes to leave their red flags in the past. However, getting started on the wrong foot can really shake a relationship, no matter how solid it may seem on the outside, and Slater and Grande are having a hard time running from the rumors. As time goes on, it looks as if there are more and more weird aspects to their relationship that Grande and Slater aren't able to hide from.

When Ariana Grande met Ethan Slater while on the set of "Wicked" in 2022, they were both still married to other people. Grande was married to her ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, whom she had wed during a private wedding ceremony barely a year earlier. Slater was married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, and the couple was expecting their first child. According to Page Six, in November 2022, Slater even made a sappy (and since-deleted) Instagram post dedicated to Jay, writing, "My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet." Of course, that year only got even more bizarre.

Even though Grande and Slater both claim they had properly severed ties with their exes before their relationship turned romantic, it's still not a great look. According to Grande, she and Gomez officially separated in February 2023, with the divorce being finalized in October. Slater alleges his relationship ended sometime in early 2023, with his divorce finalized that September. Both claim there was no overlap between their relationship and their previous marriages, but that hasn't stopped the messy rumors from swirling around Grande – especially considering how surprised Jay was by Slater filing for divorce.

As much as Ethan Slater wants everyone, himself included, to believe that he and his ex-wife, Lilly Jay, were separated in early 2023, Jay seems to think otherwise. There is plenty of evidence to suggest it wasn't as clean a break as Slater alleges, especially considering the Instagram post that Slater shared in May 2023. He wrote to Jay, "Happy first Mother's Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world." While co-parenting during a divorce is incredibly healthy and common, this post was made before Ariana Grande and Slater went public with their relationship. In fact, Slater didn't file for divorce from Jay until after he and Grande mentioned they were dating.

In July 2023, the news broke that Grande and Slater had been seeing each other for a short while. Less than a week after the news of the relationship broke, Slater officially filed for divorce from Jay, leaving her in shambles. A source close to Jay told Us Weekly, "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!" For her part, Jay spoke to Page Six to air her grievances toward Grande, saying, "[Ariana's] the story, really. Not a girl's girl. ... My family is just collateral damage."

The truth about Ariana Grande's dating history is full of missteps, and it seems her relationship with Ethan Slater is following a specific pattern. Going all the way back to 2013, Grande started to exhibit familiar behavior that she can't seem to shake to this day. Starting with that messy situation where Jai Brooks alleged she cheated with Nathan Sykes. Grande then showed off her shady side when she moved on to rapper Big Sean, allegedly while he was still engaged to actress Naya Rivera. She later dumped him and began working on a new album.

This sketchy history gave weight to some of the harsher rumors surrounding the timeline of her relationship with Slater. Especially when sources leaked to the Daily Mail that Grande and Slater were exhibiting signs of being an item while on the set of "Wicked" in 2022 — well before going public with their romance. "They were sloppy on set," the source said. "They were seen being all over each other while he was still supposedly happily married to Lilly." This may be why Grande is trying so hard to outrun rumors she's a homewrecker.

With all the chaos surrounding the start of Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's relationship, it's no wonder the couple tries to keep a low profile. Considering how quickly they both moved on from their previous relationships to be together, it feels suspiciously like the duo is trying to avoid consequences, as well as the rumor mill. In an interview with GQ, Slater confessed that all the bad press was "really difficult" for him. "It's really hard to see people who don't know anything about what's happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love," the actor admitted.

However, Slater and Grande have a history of publicly supporting each other. That's one good thing the couple has going for them. Slater is constantly impressed with Grande and the work she puts out. Speaking to GQ about their time working together on "Wicked," he says, "I'm just really, really proud of Ari and the work she's done on this. She's poured herself into it. I'm really proud that I got to be there for that part of it, and I'm really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did." Slater is correct; fans are already in awe of Grande's makeover for "Wicked." For her part, Grande also supports Slater publicly, but sometimes it can go a bit too far.

When Ariana Grande's latest album, "Eternal Sunshine," came out, fans speculated about hidden meanings in the lyrics — especially when it came to her relationship with Ethan Slater. This caused Grande to go on the defensive, trying to cover her bases and snapping at fans whose comments went too far. According to Rolling Stone, after her album dropped, Grande posted to Instagram Stories, saying, "Hi, I just wanted to say anyone that is sending hateful messages to the people in my life based on your interpretation of this album is not supporting me ... and is also entirely misinterpreting the intention behind the music." But she didn't just stop there. In fact, it seems Grande prefers to dig her heels into people commenting on her relationship rather than address the root cause of the rumors.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Grande bites back at criticism directed toward Slater. "There couldn't be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him. ... There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bull***t tabloid can rewrite in real life." All this defensiveness has some fans worried about Grande, especially since it seems the couple would prefer everyone forget about the scandalous start to their relationship. However, the pair do seem to genuinely care for each other. In a break from defending the honor of their relationship, Grande told ET, "I'm so happy people are getting to know him. My heart is very happy."