Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s love story is nothing like their new movie Wicked. In the highly anticipated adaptation of the Broadway musical, Slater plays a munchkin named Boq that falls in love at first sight with Grande’s Glinda the Good Witch, who’s not interested in the slightest and even convinces him to ask out another classmate in kind yet mischievous way.
In real life, Slater’s romantic feelings were returned. He and Grande first connected on set at the end of 2022, simply as friends and fellow musical theater nerds, before secretly becoming a couple while filming.
Naturally, the internet’s first reaction to their romance was focused on the fact that Grande is dating… SpongeBob. Slater portrayed the iconic sponge in 2017 in the Broadway musical, which earned him a Tony nomination. Given how Grande got her start on Nickelodeon and is a proven SpongeBob stan, their relationship seems meant to be.
Since then, the two have kept their relationship very private but are still going strong, especially if their adorable interactions at the many Wicked premieres are any indication. Ahead of Wicked finally hitting theaters, revisit their relationship timeline below.
July 2023: Ariana & SpongeBob Are Dating
On July 17, Grande’s divorce from ex-husband Dalton Gomez was finalized six months after they officially separated, following nearly two years of marriage. Two days later, several outlets reported that she was now dating Slater, who had recently separated from his ex-wife, Lilly Jay. While it’s unclear when their relationship began, the two started filming Wicked together at the end of 2022.
“Ariana and Ethan recently started dating,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “They have a lot in common and have a lot of fun. They didn’t start dating until both were broken up with their significant others. Ariana and Dalton remain friends.”
October 2023: Ariana Supports Ethan
During the dual actors and writers strikes, which halted Wicked filming just a few days before it was set to wrap, Slater returned to Broadway to star in Monty Python’s Spamalot. Grande attended the show on Halloween night to support her beau, even wearing a paper Spamalot crown.
March 2024: Ariana Opens Up Through Song
On March 8, Grande released her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, which touches on her split from Gomez, her new relationship with Slater, and the media backlash and false narratives that came with it. In the album’s intro, she recounts an interaction that made her think about Slater a lot.
“How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” she asks. “Then I had this interaction I’ve been thinkin’ ’bout for like five weeks / Wonder if he’s thinkin’ ’bout it too and smiling / Wonder if he knows that that’s been what’s inspirin’ me / Wonder if he’s judgin’ me like I am right now.”
The title track revealed new intimate details about Grande’s divorce while seemingly referring to Slater as her new happy ending. “I found a good boy and he’s on my side,” she sings. “You’re just my eternal sunshine.” She continues this love story on tracks like “imperfect for you” and “ordinary things,” which features a lecture on love from Grande’s Nonna.
June 2024: Their First Public Outing
Since the reports broke, Grande and Slater have kept their relationship very private, rarely speaking about each other or making appearances together. But in June, the couple were spotted at a hockey game, attending the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in Florida, near Grande’s hometown of Boca Raton.
September 2024: Ariana Speaks Out
In a Sept. 30 interview with Vanity Fair, Grande broke her silence on her relationship with Slater for the first time, directly responding to the backlash surrounding the timeline of their romance.
“The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it,” she said. “There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him.” While she told the outlet that she “will never go into specific details” about accusations they’ve faced, Grande praised Slater’s character.
“No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,” she said. “There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bullsh*t tabloid can rewrite in real life.”
October 2024: Ethan Speaks Out
On Oct. 30, Slater returned the favor and broke his silence on Grande for his GQ Hype cover story, not holding back any praise. The actor first recalled when he found out that Grande was cast as Glinda in Wicked, saying he thought she was “amazing” before they met.
“She’s a comedian who’s also got this crazy voice that can do anything,” he said. “My unbiased opinion is that she’s one of the best comedians that’s been in a movie in a long time. She’s a genius.” Slater remained vague when speaking directly about their relationship, but he still addressed the backlash they received.
“There was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,” he recalled. “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.”
Despite it all, Slater said the past year had been “amazing,” and he was looking forward to the future. “I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this,” he said. “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: Wicked Red Carpets
Since the beginning of November, Grande and Slater have attended several red-carpet events for Wicked. While the two were careful about their interactions, not wanting their relationship to overshadow the film, they still shared a sweet hug while posing with the cast at the New York premiere on Nov. 14.
In an even sweeter moment, Grande was seen adjusting Slater’s bow tie on the red carpet at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Nov. 9. Hilariously, the image became a meme thanks to their co-star Cynthia Erivo’s bewildered facial expression in the background (which was completely unrelated to the couple).
After nearly two years of going strong, you can say that Grande and Slater’s romance is “Popular.”
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