Ariana Grande Breaks Silence on Relationship with ‘Wicked’ Co-Star Ethan Slater

Ariana Grande is speaking out to Vanity Fair about her relationship with “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater after a “tough ride” in the tabloids.

News broke in July 2023 that Grande and Slater started dating after meeting on the set of the musical.

TMZ reported at the time, that both stars had already separated from their spouses before embarking on a relationship. Ariana was married to Dalton Gomez, and they have since finalized their divorce. Ethan was wed to Lilly Jay, and they had just welcomed a son in 2022. He has since filed for divorce.

Now, Grande tells Vanity Fair, “Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did. We were away for two years. So, of course, I understand why it was a field day for the tabloids to sort of create something that paid their bills.”

Addressing rumors that their relationship began before their splits, she said, “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it. That was definitely a tough ride.”

When asked about reports Ethan “stepped out on his wife and baby to date a pop star,”  she said, “There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him.” 

Grande added that she “will never go into certain details.”

As for Slater, the singer said, “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls**t tabloid can rewrite in real life.”

Grande also addressed criticism of her voice in “Wicked,” which she explained she changed for the role.

“There is a part of the world that isn’t familiar with what it takes to transform your voice, whether it’s singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something,” she said.

She noted, “When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed. There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it’s always after being led with praise: ‘Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role.’ And that’s just a part of the job, really. Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren’t.”

Reflecting on the scrutiny surrounding her life and career, Ariana went on, “The back-and-forth throughout the course of my career has been really hard to navigate mentally. I was this approachable, funny redhead on Nickelodeon and everyone liked me. And then I had one too many hit records, and everyone decided that I was an evil diva. And then other terrible things happened, and all of a sudden I was this hero and this victim.”

She later added, “Honestly, it’s taken me a lot of hard work to be able to last this long and to heal certain parts of my relationship to fame and to what I do because of these tabloids that have been trying to destroy me since I was 19 years old. But you know what? I’m 31 years old and I’m not a perfect person, but I am definitely deeply good, and I’m proud of who I’m becoming. I will never let disreputable evil tabloids ruin my life or my perception of what is real and good.”

Ariana stars as Glinda in “Wicked,” while Ethan plays Boq. He received a Tony nomination for playing the lead role in “SpongeBob SquarePants.”