Ethan Slater Sparks Fresh Breakup Rumours After Evading Question About Ariana Grande

Ethan Slater, the Broadway star romantically linked to Ariana Grande, has stirred up new speculation about trouble in their relationship after carefully dodging a question about the singer during a recent TV appearance.

Slater and Grande, who play key roles in the upcoming Wicked film adaptation, reportedly grew close while filming the two-part musical. Their romance initially faced intense criticism because Slater was still married to Lilly Jay — the mother of his three-year-old son — when the relationship became public.

Fans had already been whispering about a possible split after the pair went several months, from April until this month, without being photographed together. Their joint presence in group shots at the New York premiere of Wicked: For Good briefly eased those fears.

However, Slater reignited conversation during an interview on the Today show. When asked about “working with your girlfriend every day,” he steered clear of addressing their romance. Instead, he shifted the focus to praising the ensemble, calling the cast “incredible.” He still spoke fondly of Grande, describing her as “brilliant,” and highlighted Cynthia Erivo as “remarkable,” noting that watching both women perform up close was “pretty special.”

Amid the renewed speculation, a source told The Sun that the pair are “still together,” despite their behaviour at the recent London premiere raising concerns. According to the insider, they intentionally avoided appearing side by side for cameras, even though they met privately afterward.

“Ariana and Ethan are still a couple, but they’ve seen the online talk and it hasn’t been easy,” the source said. “They were both at the premiere and the after-party but made sure they weren’t seen together.”

The source added that the couple have been deliberately keeping their romance low-profile. After the London after-party, Grande reportedly returned to her hotel first, with Slater heading up later to see her.

The relationship has faced intense public attention from the start. Last month, reports claimed that wedding discussions had been paused and that the couple had been “on and off” recently.

Grande had only just separated from her husband, Dalton Gomez, when her relationship with Slater surfaced in July 2023. Slater, who was still legally married to Lilly Jay at the time, filed for divorce soon after the controversy erupted.