Ariana Grande’s boyfriend, Ethan Slater, whose romance with the pop star was revealed amid his separation from his wife of five years, admits going public with his relationship was “really difficult.”
“I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,” the Broadway star told GQ in a profile published Wednesday.
“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.”
When Slater, 32, and Grande, 31, began dating after meeting on set of the movie adaptation of “Wicked,” not only was he fresh out of a marriage, but so was she.
The “Thank U, Next” singer split from Dalton Gomez after two years of marriage in January 2023, sources previously confirmed to Page Six. The exes then settled their divorce in October of that year.
Speculation about whether there was any overlap in the relationships and a bombshell interview with Slater’s ex wife, Lilly Jay, in which she called Grande “not a girl’s girl,” sparked an online uproar against the “7 Rings” singer, with some dubbing her a “homewrecker.”
However, sources previously clarified to Page Six that while Jay was “rightfully upset” about the end of her marriage, Grande and Slater “didn’t do anything wrong.”
An insider noted that the co-stars began dating two months after the “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” star had separated from his then-wife.
“Ethan is trying to take the high road and hopes he can resolve this situation for the sake of their child,” the source added at the time, referencing Slater and Jay’s 2-year-old son.
Further reflecting on the backlash, Slater told GQ, “I’ve got an amazing support system of family and friends who I talk to and confide in.
“I am really focused on the real people in my life, who those things affect, and doing right by every real person and not the Twitter people who comment on it.”
Grande, for her part, has already addressed the criticism via her music in “Yes, And?” — in which she unabashedly asked, “Why do you care so much whose d–k I ride?” — and in interviews, as well.
The “We Can’t Be Friends” singer told Vanity Fair of Slater in September, “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of [our relationship].
“There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him. …. There is no one on this earth with a better heart. And that is something that no bulls–t tabloid can rewrite in real life.”
The feelings of admiration are mutual as Slater gushed to GQ how great Grande is in her upcoming role as Glinda in “Wicked,” which premieres in theaters on Nov. 22.
“I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this. She’s poured herself into it,” he said.
“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.”