Ariana Grande's 'mean' boyfriend breaks silence on scandal

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When Ariana Grande Wicked Boyfriend breaks his silence on their relationship controversy, will that quell the backlash?

2023 has been a busy relationship year for Ariana Grande. That year, she and Dalton Gomez — who is now her ex-husband — separated.

Perhaps by remarkable coincidence, it was also the year that Ethan Slater separated from his wife, Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a young son.

Soon, news came that Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were dating. Now Ariana's Wicked her teammate (and boyfriend) breaks her silence about the backlash their relationship has received.

Ariana Grande's 'Mean' Boyfriend Ethan Slater Breaks His Silence

There was a time when he was best known, if you can call it that, for playing SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway. Then, he landed the role of Boq in the film 2024 Wicked movie.

None of these are his greatest claim to fame. Becoming Ariana Grande's boyfriend and the questionable circumstances surrounding their relationship transformed Ariana's life Wicked boyfriend into something close to a familiar name.

Nearly a year and a half after going from (relative) obscurity to controversial headlines, how is he handling it all?

As a teenager, Ethan Slater met Lilly Jay. The two dated in college, got married (for five years), then welcomed their son in August 2022.

In July 2023, Ethan Slater filed for divorce from Lilly. This deposit arrived within a few days After News broke that Ethan Slater was dating Ariana Grande. Both were Wicked castmates, and the timing of everything raised eyebrows and suspicion.

Wednesday October 30 GQ published a interview with Ethan Slater. “Obviously it was a really big year,” he said of 2023. “And I think there was something really difficult about things in your private life be commented on and watched by the public.”

Becoming famous as Ariana Grande's 'mean' boyfriend was a shock

“There were a lot of big personal life changes that were actually happening,” Ethan Slater vaguely acknowledged.

“So it's very difficult to see people who don't know anything about what's going on commenting and speculating,” Ariana's boyfriend complained.

“And then,” Slater accused, “of being wrong about the people you love.” So just to address this part of the problem, it seems really difficult.

Meanwhile, Ariana Grande has more experience scolding critics and even her own fans about her relationships.

“She’s such an incredible performer,” exclaimed Ethan Slater during the interview with GQ.

“And I think everyone knows how good she is as a recording artist and all that,” he pointed out. It's true. “But I’m really blown away by the songwriting.”

Will this change what people think of Ethan Slater?

Well no. Through social networkspeople are panning Ethan Slater GQ interview. He doesn't get their sympathy – because, deep down, people are thinking about his ex-wife and their 2-year-old child.

Some absolutely blow Ariana Grande. This might be right, since she apparently dated Lilly before Ethan broke up with her.

But if there was cheating before Wicked co-stars went public, the real cheater is the perpetrator. No one can “steal” someone else’s husband. Or, if they do, it is called “kidnapping” and is generally considered a crime.

Now that Wicked received a ton of Oscar nominations (including Best Supporting Actress for Ariana), this mini-scandal could be swept under the rug. But you can be sure that Lilly won't forget!