Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have officially split after three years of dating, a decision confirmed by insiders.
Sources reveal that the breakup occurred several months ago, but the two have maintained a friendship. They reportedly respect and admire each other, acknowledging that they are better off as friends rather than in a romantic relationship.
Grande is focusing on her upcoming "Eternal Sunshine" tour and the release of her album "Petal," which is set to drop on July 31. This new album is not inspired by her breakup or her relationship with Slater.
Grande, aged 32, and Slater, aged 34, first crossed paths on the set of "Wicked." At that time, both were married—Grande to Dalton Gomez and Slater to Lilly Jay, his high school sweetheart. Slater and Jay share a three-year-old son named Ezra.
In June 2023, Jay publicly criticized Grande after news of Slater's relationship with her broke. She stated, “Ariana’s the story, really. Not a girl’s girl. My family is just collateral damage.”
Despite the backlash, insiders defended Grande and Slater, asserting they did nothing wrong. They clarified that Slater had been separated from Jay for two months before starting his romance with Grande.
Throughout their relationship, Grande and Slater kept their romance mostly private. However, Slater did share personal photos of Grande celebrating the holidays at home in December.
Grande seems to be embracing her single status. She kicked off her "Eternal Sunshine" tour at the Oakland Arena in California, where she humorously referenced her divorce while performing her hit “Thank U, Next.”
The lyrics include a line about wanting to walk down the aisle again, which she playfully emphasized by holding up two fingers after singing about wanting to do it once, real bad.
