News broke this week that Ariana Grande has not only split from her husband of two years, luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez, but is already dating someone else. Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, who coincidentally is also about to get married; according to People, Slater and his wife Lily Jaye (his college sweetheart whom he married in 2018) are separated, although they had their first child, a boy, earlier this year.

"Wicked" began filming in the UK last year and was scheduled for release in November 2024, but it remains unclear if the SAG-AFTRA strike will affect that.

Slater and Jay have been dating since 2012, and according to "Entertainment Tonight," Jay is understandably "devastated" by the whole situation. A source close to Jay told the outlet, "This is not the future she had in mind."

"She is doing her best to get back on her feet."

"She is incredibly smart and driven," he added, "and she is truly the best mother I've ever known.

Just last November, Slater shared an anniversary tribute to his wife on Instagram, writing, "My best friend. We've been married 4 years, together 10 years. And this year is going to be the best (and *weirdest*) year ever." Interestingly, Grande "liked" the post. on the post. (Slater's Instagram was set to private hours after news of his new romance with Grande broke. At the time the account was made private, he had 84,000 followers.)

As for Grande and Gomez, a source confirmed to the magazine that the two "ultimately did not get together." It is still unclear when Grande and Slater began their romance, but one source said, "Ariana and Ethan recently started dating. They have a lot in common and are having a lot of fun".

The source added that in answer to the question on everyone's mind, "They only started dating after they both broke up with their significant others."

Slater is known primarily as a Broadway actor. He has played "Sponge Bob" on stage, and has also had small roles in shows such as "Law & Order" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."