Ariana Grande’s Rumored Boyfriend Ethan Slater Officially Files for Divorce

Actor Ethan Slater filed for divorce from his wife Lilly Jay on Wednesday, according to a report by TMZ. Rumors have been swirling for over a week now that Slater is dating singer Ariana Grande, and that the two have both separated from their respective spouses. To some, Slater’s divorce filing is a very prominent clue.

Slater reportedly filed divorce paperwork in New York on Wednesday and did not fill out the reason for the separation. The 31-year-old is best known for starring in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, and has been with James since the two were in high school together. In 2022, they had a child together. Slater has not commented publicly on Wednesday’s divorce filing, but Jay did give a comment to reporters from In Touch Weekly, saying: “[Ariana Grande is] the story, really. Not a girl’s girl. My family is just collateral damage… The story is her and Dalton [Gomez].”

Grande began dating Gomez, a Los Angeles real estate agent, in January 2020 and married him in May 2021. So far, Grande and Gomez have not confirmed reports that they are separated, but sources close to them told PEOPLE that they broke up in January due to their constantly conflicting schedules.

“She was happy in Los Angeles for a couple of years. She wanted to make a life there with Dalton,” the source said. “He is super focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles. It’s definitely been an issue for them. Dalton’s career is demanding and he can’t leave Los Angeles often. So when [Grande] started filming Wicked in England, they were in for a long-distance marriage.”

Meanwhile, Grande met Slater while filming the movie adaptation of the musical Wicked, where Grande will play Galinda Upland and Slater will play the Munchkin Boq. The movie was filming in England up until the SAG-AFTRA strike shut the work down.

All we know about Slater and James’ separation is that it happened “recently,” with no specific dates or reasons given. That has led many commenters to perceive Grande as a meddler and the reason for the divorce. Slater had made a heartfelt post about James as recently as November of 2022, celebrating their tenth anniversary as a couple.

“My best friend. Four years married. 10 together. And this is easily the best (and most bizarre) yet,” Slater wrote alongside several photos of himself and James together. The actor still has not commented on reports of his romance with Grande, nor has she or Gomez. It’s unclear how the divorce filing will move forward.