Ariana Grande news has come thick and fast over the last couple of weeks. First, it was reported that the pop star had split from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez, after a protracted separation period. Then came the news that Grande is reportedly dating her Wicked feature film co-star Ethan Slater, who himself had reportedly separated from his wife, and with whom he welcomed a son less than a year ago.
The timeline of Grande’s alleged relationship with Slater is murky. Although sources close to both the pop star and the Broadway actor have insisted that both were separated from their exes before they got together, reports of Slater’s wife’s devastation have been swirling. And now, Lilly Jay, Slater’s ex, has launched what appears to be a full-on barrage in the press against Grande and Slater.
“[Ariana’s] the story really. Not a girl’s girl,” Jay reportedly told Page Six in an article published Thursday. “My family is just collateral damage...the story is her and Dalton.”
“I am focused on rebuilding a life for our son and rebuilding a life for him,” Jay reportedly told The Daily Mail in an article also published Thursday. “This is what I am trying to do and this is my only focus.”
Meanwhile, in yet another interview that hit the internet on—you guessed it—Thursday, Jay told TMZ: “I’m focused on my son and doing my best to navigate a spotlight I have never wanted or experienced before.” She added that she was “watching with horror as stories are published speaking to my experience. I am asking for privacy and respect as an individual who is not in the entertainment industry and as a mom. I ask to be left alone to rebuild my life and raise the beautiful boy I gave birth to last year.”
On Wednesday, TMZ reported that Slater had filed for divorce from Jay, whom he married in 2018 after the two were high school sweethearts.
Since discourse around his reported relationship with Grande first began to heat up, Slater has made his Instagram account private. However, eagle-eyed sleuths captured a Mother’s Day post he dedicated to Jay in May of this year—a post that Grande herself “liked.”
And while People reported on Thursday (of course) that Grande and Slater are now “full-on dating,” the two have yet to publicly comment on their alleged relationship.