08 March 2024 , 17:40
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Last year, Ariana Grande made headlines as she started a relationship with her Wicked co-star, Ethan Slater.
The singer and the Broadway star were still legally married to other people at the time - Ariana had been married to real estate agent Dalton Gomez for two years at the time and Ethan was married to his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay since 2018. Days after their relationship was announced, both Ariana and Ethan started divorce proceedings.
Ariana released her latest album, Eternal Sunshine, on Friday and fans think some of the songs are Ariana's way of commenting on her current relationship and the public's response. So here's a rundown of the controversial couple's relationship since it started.
READ MORE: Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine lyrics about her divorce and new boyfriend explained
The couple went public in July 2023 (@michelleyeoh_official/Instagram)Wicked Movie co- stars
In the last month of 2022, it was announced that Ethan was joining the cast of the movie musical Wicked. Ariana was already cast to play Glinda the Good Witch and Ethan would play Boq. In May 2023, Ethan and Ariana were photographed together as they filmed a scene together. Ethan's character Boq is enamored with Glinda, and the two held hands in the snaps taken.
Ariana Grande teases new music with vocals in recording studio as fans go wild
Ariana ditches wedding ring
Last summer was when everything took off. On July 16, 2023, Ariana attended Wimbledon with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey. Photos showed that she wasn't wearing her wedding ring.
The next day, reports came out that Ariana and Dalton had split earlier in the year, but didn't specify why or when. Then on July 20, it was announced that Ariana and Ethan were dating, as they grew close during filming Wicked.
Six days later, Ethan filed for divorce from Lilly Jay. The high school sweethearts share a son, who recently turned one a few months before the drama started. Lilly Jay spoke to Page Six about the divorce, telling the outlet that Ariana is "not a girl's girl. My family is just collateral damage."
Ariana was first spotted without her wedding ring at Wimbleton (WireImage)Moving in together
Two months after the first reports of dating, Ariana and Ethan made their first public appearance at Disney World in September 2023. The two were spotted holding each other as they were joined by a group of friends, and Ariana's mum and brother.
In October, Ariana and Ethan reportedly moved in together. The two got an apartment together in New York City ahead of Ethan's stint in the Broadway show Spamalot.
A month later, Ariana supported her man by attending the premiere of Spamalot, signing autographs and sitting in the audience. In December, the couple were photographed going out for dinner in New York with Ariana's dad.
Ariana's new album seems to address the relationship (Republic Records)Yes, and?
Ariana seemed to address her controversial relationship when she released her single, "Yes, And?" in January. The lyrics ask the world why they care about what she does and who she dates, though many online thought she was doubling down on the "homewrecker" persona that was thrust upon her.
Then in February Ariana appeared on The Zach Sang Show and spoke about the cheating rumours. Zach asked her if there was anything she wished people knew. "Plenty. We don't have enough time," she said, "I feel like we don’t need to go into any specifics, but, of course, there’s like an insatiable frustration, inexplicable, hellish feeling with watching people, misunderstand the people you love and you and anything."
She was then asked about her album that hadn't come out yet and if it would address her relationship with Ethan. "Pieces of it touch on things that are real and then pieces of it are part of the concept," she said, "So, what is that separation? It's scary to leave it up to these selective memory people to decipher."
On March 8, Eternal Sunshine was released and full of love songs and songs about leaving a bad relationship behind. In a re-work of Brandy and Monica's That Boy Is Mine, Ariana sings: "You and me might be meant to be, can't unsee it. But I don't wanna cause no scene, I'm usually so unproblematic."
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