The controversial story of how Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater started dating on Wicked set

The Wicked movie smashed box office records on its opening weekend and has established a name for itself as being one of the most iconic and successful movie musicals of all time. However, for a long time the film itself was overshadowed by the controversial news that stars Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were dating on the set of Wicked. It’s quite ironic that Ethan plays Boq, a munchkin with a huge crush on Glinda, played by Ariana herself. He’s following her around like a lost puppy and made out to be the less attractive one compared to Glinda’s crush for Fiyero (but who can blame her when it’s Johnathan Bailey?!) So, here’s the full story of everything we know about their relationship on the set of Wicked.

December 2022

The Wicked production began filming in December 2022, and both Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were present from day one. Ariana was married to her husband Dalton Gomez, who she had been with for three and a half years, and Ethan was married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, who had just given birth to their first child together.

July 2023

On 16th July 2023, Ariana was spotted at Wimbledon without her wedding ring on. The very next day, TMZ and People confirmed that Ariana and Dalton had decided to separate and get divorced.

Ten days later, Ethan Slater filed for divorce from his wife Lilly Jay. The rumours the two are dating are now rampant.

September 2023

On 6th September, Ethan Slater made his Instagram account public and posted some content around his appearance in the Broadway revival of Spamalot. The comments were limited but Ariana left a like on the post. Wicked co-stars or something more than that??

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It was about to be something more than that. On 22nd September, Ariana and Ethan were spotted looking very cosy arm-in-arm at Disney World in Florida on a day off from set.

During this time, Ariana got a lot of backlash from her fans which wasn’t helped by the fact that Ethan’s ex-wife Lilly did many interviews slating her as “not a girl’s girl” and accused Ariana of seeing her family as just “collateral damage.”

Insiders claimed the couple were told to “disappear for six months” in the hope that backlash would die down before the musical hit cinemas in November 2024.

October 2023

October is basically a confirmation of all these rumours. The new couple were seen at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, and Ariana attended the Spamalot preview, making their relationship public. Wicked was still being filmed at this time.

December 2023

In December, we finally heard from Ariana herself. She spoke about the critics of her personal life on an Instagram story: “I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me,” she wrote. “I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life.”

She also hung a can of spam decoration on her Christmas tree, which people have speculated was a nod to Ethan’s role in Spamalot.

October 2024

Both Wicked parts finished filming in January 2024, so fast forward 10 months and the promo was in full swing. Ethan was outright asked what it was like to fall in love while making Wicked in an interview with GQ.

“Obviously, it was a really super big year,” he said, “and I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public. There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love. So just to address that part of it, that feels really hard.”

He added: “But, of course, it was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing, and I’m just really excited. I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this. She’s poured herself into it. I’m really proud that I got to be there for that part of it, and I’m really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did.”

November 2024

Ariana posted her first picture with Ethan on her Instagram in a huge dump of Wicked press pics. He was carrying the train of her huge Glinda dress for her. The PDA that came with the Wicked press tour was WILD.

The two also got close at the LA Wicked premiere, where they hugged for the cameras and fussed over each other on the red carpet. This was Ariana’s first time publicly addressing him and their relationship too.

“He’s always that adorable and he’s so amazing in this film. He’s such an amazing person,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I’m so happy people are getting to know him. My heart is very happy.”