Ariana Grande’s new boyfriend, “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater, reportedly filed for divorce from his wife in New York on Wednesday.
Slater married Lilly Jay, his high school sweetheart, in 2018 before filing for divorce after five years, according to TMZ. The two have a son who was born in Aug. 2022.
Jay was heartbroken to learn about Slater’s relationship with Grande and felt as though her husband abandoned their family, she told TMZ.
Ethan Slater’s estranged wife Lilly Jay feels he ‘abandoned his family’ and ‘feels betrayed’ following the news that he’s dating Ariana Grande, TMZ reports.
TMZ also reports that Ariana “used to hang out with both Ethan and Lilly” while they were still a married couple. pic.twitter.com/iJ2y6Rr1vG
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 26, 2023
Slater set his Instagram account, which contained various pictures of himself with Jay, to private as news of their divorce surfaced. (RELATED: Ariana Grande’s Stalker Arrested After Breaking Into Her Home)
Grande began dating Slater several months ago while the two worked on the film adaptation of Broadway musical “Wicked,” TMZ reported. Slater was cast as Boq, while Grande plays Glinda.
The “Thank U, Next” singer recently separated from her own husband of two years, Dalton Gomez, according to TMZ. She was seen without her wedding ring when she attended Wimbledon on July 16. The couple tried to reconcile two month prior to their split to no avail, so they intend to get a divorce.
“Ariana and Dalton separated in January. She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife,” an insider told PEOPLE. “She was happy in Los Angeles for a couple of years. She wanted to make a life there with Dalton. He is super focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles. It’s definitely been an issue for them.”
“Dalton’s career is demanding and he can’t leave Los Angeles often. So when [Grande] started filming ‘Wicked’ in England, they were in for a long-distance marriage,” the insider said.