‘SpongeBob’ Voice Actor’s Wife Clarifies He’s Not Dating Ariana Grande

It must have been an odd week for voice actor Tom Kenny and his wife, actress Jill Talley. Sources told Entertainment Tonight that Ariana Grande is now dating actor Ethan Slater, who is best known for playing SpongeBob in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical on Broadway. Some fans got confused, thinking that Grande was dating Kenny since he has been the voice of SpongeBob on TV for years, but Talley took it upon herself to set them straight.

Talley commented on an Instagram post by The Cut, which featured the headline: “Is Ariana Grande Dating Spongebob Now?” Talley wrote: “Hi everyone, I’m married to Tom Kenny (who voices SpongeBob on the TV show). He is not dating Ariana Grande. I don’t know if Ethan Slater (who played SpongeBob in the musical) is or isn’t dating Ariana Grande. However, they’re both adorable and I totally ship it. Just want to set the record straight. PS: As for me and Tom Kenny – we are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary today.”

The comment got many likes from fans who applauded Talley’s comedic timing. The idea of Grande dating 61-year-old Kenny threw many readers for a loop when they made that misinterpretation, though the stories of her dating Slater have not been much less scandalous. Grande began dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez in January of 2020 and married him in May of 2021. The two just separated in July of 2023, so her romance with Slater is extremely fresh.

Slater is also recently single, having separated from his wife Lilly Jay sometime in the last few months. The two had a child together in 2022. Since then, Slater and Grande apparently met on the set of Wicked – a film adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway musical where Grande will play Galinda and Slater will play a Munchkin named Boq. So far, the two have not commented publicly on reports of their romance.

Talley has a main cast role on Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants as well as Karen Plankton, the artificial intelligence married to Sheldon Plankton. Karen was played by Stephanie Hsu on Broadway, but was played by Katie Lee Hill in the version that was filmed for TV. Incidentally, the TV special is the only one that featured Kenny, as he played Patchy the Pirate.

Talley and Kenny met while filming the sketch comedy series The Edge together in 1993. Both also continue to work in TV while Talley also continues to perform live stand-up and improv comedy. After Talley’s comment on Thursday, fans are more invested in their relationship than ever.