Ethan Slater breaks silence about Ariana Grande relationship as he reveals sweet nickname for her

After 12 months of dating, Ethan Slater has opened up about his controversial relationship with his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande, gushing over the actress’ ‘genius’ skills and revealing a sweet nickname.

News of the couple’s relationship first broke in mid-2023, just days after reports that Grande’s relationship with her ex-husband Dalton Gomez was over.

Not long after that, it was reported that Slater, 32, had filed for divorce from his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay, whom he shares a toddler with. 

Slater, who featured on the cover of GQ, spoke about his romance with Grande, 31, revealing what it was like to fall in love on the set of the highly anticipated film.

‘Obviously, it was a really super big year,’ the Broadway star, who is playing Boq in the film adaptation of Wicked, acknowledged.

‘I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,’ he pointed out.

The actor and singer, who got his start in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical in 2018, admitted there were a lot of ‘big changes’ going on in both his and Grande’s private lives and the speculation was ‘really hard.’

‘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,’ he admitted to GQ.

Despite being thrust completely into the public eye and forced to endure endless speculation and judgement over his love life; Slater declared it an ‘amazing year.’

‘I’m just really excited,’ he gushed, adding that it was a ‘beautiful thing’ falling in love on set.

‘I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this,’ the Broadway alum added, revealing the sweet nickname he has for his beau. 

He continued saying she’s ‘poured herself into it,’ and he’s ‘really proud’ he was there for that part of it.

‘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,’ he added.

Slater, who featured on the cover of GQ, speaking about his romance with Grande, 31, revealing what it was like to fall in love on the set of the highly anticipated film

The pair broke up with their respective partners within days of each other during filming

 Cynthia Erivo plays Elpha opposite Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda in the upcoming film

Ariana and Ethan pictured with Wicked co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Yeoh

Grande and Slater met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked; pictured in June

He went on the call his girlfriend one of the ‘best comedians’ to be in a movie in a long time. 

‘She’s a genius,’ he enthused.

Grande and Slater met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, in which Grande plays Glinda — the good witch — alongside Ethan as munchkin Boq.

Slater filed for divorce on July 26, 2023, five years after he tied the knot with Jay, his high school sweetheart.

He cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of their then two-year-old son. 

At the time, Grande was still married to Dalton Gomez; she filed for divorce in September 2023 and listed the date of separation as February 20, 2023.

Following backlash over the timeline of their relationship, the couple kept a relatively low profile. 

In February, Grande admitted she feels ‘an insatiable frustration’ about the narrative around her relationship with Slater.

Addressing the conversation around her personal life, the Yes, And? singer told The Zach Sang Show: ‘I feel like we don’t need to go into any specifics.

‘But of course, there’s an insatiable frustration, inexplicable, hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love, and you and anything.’