Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater, the Wicked co-stars whose romance launched in the summer of 2023, have ended their relationship after nearly three years. Sources confirmed the split to People and TMZ on June 8, with both outlets reporting the pair had actually parted ways “several months” before the news became public.
The June 13 Page Six report has now reframed the timeline, describing what insiders call an “on-off” relationship in the lead-up to the breakup and quoting a source who said Grande “needed a lot of reassurance” throughout the final stretch. Slater, who shares a young son with ex-wife Lilly Jay, made his first public appearance since the news at a Broadway performance in New York on June 12 — a low-key outing that was nonetheless flagged by E! News and Us Weekly within hours.
The pair met on the set of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, where Grande starred as Glinda opposite Slater’s Boq. Their relationship became public in July 2023, weeks after Grande and real-estate agent Dalton Gomez separated and as Slater’s own divorce moved through New York courts. The romance survived the back-to-back theatrical releases of Wicked in November 2024 and Wicked: For Good in November 2025, plus a punishing global press tour that saw the two photographed together at premieres in London, Singapore and Sydney.
Grande has since pivoted to her Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, the mental-health nonprofit she launched June 12, while Slater remains attached to multiple Broadway projects. Industry observers have noted the timing — the breakup story landing the same week Grande was making her first major philanthropy push — but representatives for both stars have declined further comment.
The Eastern Herald previously reported on Grande’s demand that the White House stop using her 2024 single “Bye” in an ICE TikTok video and on the NBC Emmy submissions that included her Saturday Night Live host turn. Grande’s next public appearance is expected at the foundation’s flagship event later this summer; Slater is slated to return to Broadway in a new production this fall.
