Ariana Grande is Giving Ethan Slater “Space” as He Navigates Divorce from Estranged Wife Lilly Jay

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published 31 July 2023

To put it mildly, relations are *not good* between Ethan Slater and his estranged wife, Lilly Jay, with whom he shares an infant son. Just in case you somehow missed it, Slater is dating his Wicked costar, Ariana Grande (who herself has an estranged spouse, Dalton Gomez, although Grande and Gomez seem to be on much friendlier terms). Both Slater and Grande were legally married when they began their relationship so, yeah, it’s a bit messy.

Per People, Slater was spotted back in New York City late last week, away from the U.K., where Wicked was filming. Just days after filing for divorce from high school sweetheart Jay, Slater was seen around the city, including FaceTiming with Grande, the outlet reports.

After meeting on the Wicked set, “it was obvious on the set from early on,” a source said of the pair’s chemistry, per People. “They were very sweet to each other and often seen laughing together. Everyone just thought they were both happily married, though, and didn’t expect them to end up dating.” A separate person told People that Grande and Slater didn’t get together romantically until both had been separated from their spouses, though some accounts refute that notion.

Completely understandably, the split has been “devastating for Lilly,” a source said. “They were together for so long. They met when they were in high school. They were inseparable.”

Per Page Six, Grande is giving Slater “space” to “work things out” as he navigates his divorce from Jay, including a custody agreement for their 11-month-old son. Grande and Slater reportedly haven’t seen each other in weeks; despite all of this, the two are still dating, the outlet reports.

“Ethan is trying to take the high road and hopes he can resolve this situation for the sake of their child,” a source said, per Page Six. Access reports that Jay is “focused on [her] son” and is “doing [her] best to navigate a spotlight [she has] never wanted or experienced before.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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