Who is Ethan Slater, Ariana Grande's reported love interest?

Separate photos of Ariana Grande in a fluffy formal gown and Ethan Slater in a suit with no tie.

Published July 20, 2023 Updated July 24, 2023 10 AM PT

Ariana Grande hasn’t just separated from husband Dalton Gomez with plans to divorce. She’s also reportedly moving on already with a new man. His name is Ethan Slater, he’s 32, and she knows him from work. (Isn’t that always the way? Even for celebrities, it seems.)

And although Slater has been acting up a storm with Grande, he wasn’t exactly a household name before their relationship was reported Thursday morning by TMZ.

So who is Ethan Slater — and when did he and Grande get together? Here are a few key points about the man who theoretically could be the next Mr. Ariana Grande.

He’s a ‘Wicked’ dude

Slater is Grande’s co-star in “Wicked,” playing Boq, a university friend of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) and love interest of Nessarose (Marissa Bode). The production, Part 1 of which is currently slated to debut in November 2024, began filming this past Valentine’s Day in the U.K.

Grande and Gomez, whose breakup after two years of marriage went public Monday, reportedly separated in January (they married in May 2021), leaving the “Thank U, Next” singer technically free to date by the time “Wicked” filming started. And fair’s fair: Gomez has been dating too, TMZ said.

He married a sweetheart of a singer

Slater and singer Lilly Jay, high school sweethearts, coupled up in 2012, according to Us Weekly. The two moved to New York from Maryland in 2014, were married in 2018 and welcomed a baby boy together last year. Us said Slater and Jay seemed to be going strong last fall, based on an anniversary Instagram post in November where he wrote of her, “My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet.”

And now that’s apparently done — but Grande and Slater “didn’t start dating until both were broken up with their significant others,” a source told ET. The two started dating “recently,” the source said, but Page Six reported that Slater was seen with his arm around Grande in a photo taken at a “Wicked” cast celebration in March.

He has SpongeBob (and Broadway) in his background

Slater earned a Tony nomination for playing the title character in the Broadway musical version of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” which debuted in December 2017 and ran into September 2018. Please note, folks, that he is definitely not Tom Kenny, the “SpongeBob SquarePants” voice actor folks might be familiar with from TV.

“He is not dating Ariana Grande,” Kenny’s wife, Jill Talley, wrote about her husband in a comment on a Thursday Instagram post by the Cut. “I don’t know if Ethan Slater (who played SpongeBob in the musical) is or isn’t dating Ariana Grande. However, they’re both adorable and I totally ship it.” Turns out Talley and Kenny were celebrating their 27th wedding anniversary the day she commented.

Back to the dude dating Grande: He and actor pal Nick Blaemire have also written a show, “Edge of the World,” the soundtrack of which was released as a concept album in 2021. (That’s not to be confused with the 2021 movie “Edge of the World,” which starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Dominic Monaghan. Totally different.) Slater and Blaemire sing on all 13 of the record’s tracks.

“In Edge of the World, when young Ben and his father Henry move to a remote patch of land in rural Alaska, Ben uses his imagination to cope with his new surroundings,” reads the summary of the show on the Broadway Records website. “But as he learns more about the circumstances that brought him into isolation, the line between lie and reality begins to blur. It’s a sweeping, handmade fable about the world we’re given, and the one we make for ourselves.”

Slater’s pronouns are he/him

Yup, “he/him” was right there on the screen in one of his YouTube videos. Now you know. Incidentally, he joined YouTube in 2012, the same year he and Jay got romantic.

Slater also has more than 84,000 followers on Instagram, though that hardly compares to Grande’s 377 million. Not that anyone new can check out Slater’s IG without his permission: He turned it private after news of his dating life went viral. Cheez — all Grande did this week was scrub the pics of her ex-husband-to-be from her Instagram.

He and Grande are astrologically compatible — or not

Slater’s a Gemini. Grande’s sign is Cancer. Depending on your astrologer of choice, it could work — but it sounds like it might be a challenging match in the long term.

“These two signs approach the world in such different manners that they must be able to understand and accept one another’s differences,” Astrology.com says, noting that Gemini’s “chivalrous nature and silver tongue” might lure the “sensitive, emotional” Cancer out of her shell faster than usual. Gemini apparently wants to get down to freaky business ASAP, while Cancer just wants a hug from her honey.

The website also suggests that, when the relationship ultimately ends, Slater will be the one to end it.

“While the two signs will share a few laughs together and share a great sense of humor,” says Pinkvilla, “their relationship wouldn’t be ideal. This is because although Gemini will be floored by Cancer’s humility and kindness, the air sign seeks freedom that may never be found considering Cancer’s clingy nature.”

Don’t blame the messenger — that’s the stars talking, folks.