Ariana Grande and her new boyfriend Ethan Slater have been purposely laying low since news broke of them dating—and, subsequently, both their marriages to other people ending. Us Weekly reports that if Grande had it her way, she and Slater would be much more public now. But those around her are recommending that she keep things private for now.
The source said, “Ariana’s been told it’s too soon to go public with him and to take things slower. She’s very aware of how she’s perceived by her fans, and she’s trying to be mature. [But] if it were up to her, she’d be seen with him tomorrow.”
In Slater’s case, his estranged wife Lilly Jay, with whom he welcomed his first child in August 2022, has spoken to outlets about how Grande is “not a girl’s girl,” and Jay and Slater’s family “is just collateral damage.” Slater filed from divorce from Jay last week. The two high school sweethearts were together for 10 years and have been married since 2018.
Part of the reason Grande’s inner circle has advised her to be careful is because Slater has a family. Still, “things are heating up behind the scenes. Publicly, they’re backing off, but [in reality], they’re not,” the source said.
Grande has said nothing on the record about the Slater dating reports, or even news that she and her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez, are separated.
TMZ reported over the weekend that Grande hasn’t seen Slater in person recently, with multiple sources telling the outlet that the two actors haven’t been in the same city for “several weeks,” although they are still dating.
Apparently, Grande has been giving Slater space to work out his issues with Jay as their marriage ends. Grande and Slater would like to see each other, TMZ noted, but “that’s not in the cards for the immediate future.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.