Ariana Grande's Romance With Ethan Slater 'Devastated' His Ex Wife

The estranged wife of the Broadway star was still convinced they'd get back together.

By Andrew Roberts

Ethan Slater's ex wife, Lilly Jay, is reportedly "devastated" by the news that he is dating his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande. According to ET, a source revealed how Slater's former high school classmate and the mother to his first child is reacting to the news after it went public and Slater pushed forward with his divorce.

"This is not the future she had in mind," the source tells ET. "She's doing her best to get back on her feet. She's incredibly smart and driven. She is truly the best mother."

Slater and Jay wed in 2018 and welcomed their son in 2022, sometime before their anniversary. Slater posted a tribute to Jay at the time. "My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet," Slater wrote last November. ET notes that Grande liked the post.

Monday news broke that Grande and her former husband Dalton Gomez had separated after two years together. The reason for the split was called the couple realized they "ultimately were just not a good fit," according to ET. It was only a few days later that Grande and Slater were reported to be dating.

"Ariana and Ethan recently started dating. They have a lot in common and have a lot of fun," a source confirmed to ET. "They didn't start dating until both were broken up with their significant others. Ariana and Dalton remain friends."

TMZ shared a photo of the pair at Wicked's cast celebration of Michelle Yeojh's Oscar victory. They also noted that Slater soon made his social media private after the news broke. Slater plays Boq in the upcoming Wicked adaptation by director Jon M. Chu. Boq is a Munchkin who is in love with Grande's Galinda and later gets transformed into The Tin Man. 

Slater is still legally married to Jay at the moment, with no real revelation on what direction the relationship will take from here. Grande has not spoken out about the relationship at this point.

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