New couple Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have faced a lot of scrutiny in the past month since news of their relationship broke. Grande was recently separated from her husband, Dalton Gomez, and Slater had split from his wife, Lilly Jay, when they began to date. Slater and Jay had recently welcomed their first child together at the time of their breakup. A source told People this week that there have been a lot of misconceptions around how Slater and Grande got together, adding that their relationship is still going strong.
“While this entire situation has been blown out of proportion, it’s much different than what has been portrayed in public,” said an insider close to Grande and Slater. “They are just trying to navigate their new relationship in private. People have tried to question the timeline.”
The source added, “The truth is, Ariana and Ethan didn’t begin seeing each other until after both parties were separated, respectfully.”
A second source stated, “They are doing their best to balance the fact that they are in the public eye with the desire to be respectful to all parties involved… Ethan’s priority will always be to co-parent his son.”
Grande reportedly split with Gomez in January, though it only was noted publicly after she made an appearance at Wimbledon without her wedding ring. The singer has been in London for months filming the adaptation of the musical Wicked, which is where she met Slater. Grande plays Glinda and Slater was cast as Boq.
Grande and Gomez were married in May 2021 and after their separation became public another source said that the long distance relationship took its toll, but they remain friends.
“Ari has nothing but kind words to say about Dalton,” another insider said at the time. “During their marriage, he was her No. 1 fan.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
