Ariana Grande’s New Boyfriend Ethan Slater Is Separated from Wife After Welcoming Baby Last Year
Ethan Slater is now separated from his wife Lilly Jay.
Amid news that the actor, 31, is dating his Wicked costar Ariana Grande, a source tells PEOPLE that he and Jay, whom he began dating in 2012 and married in November 2018, have gone their separate ways.
The former couple share a baby son named Ezra, whom they welcomed in August 2022. Slater made his Instagram account private on Thursday.
The news of Slater’s relationship with Grande, 30, also comes shortly after the “Thank U, Next” singer’s recently reported breakup with husband Dalton Gomez.
“Ariana and Dalton separated in January,” a source told PEOPLE Thursday. “She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife.”
In January, Slater revealed he and Jay had welcomed their first child by sharing a photo of a onesie that read “Wicked Cute.”
“Super vague post, but we have a baby now,” he wrote, later confirming on Mother’s Day that they’d welcomed a son.
For the day in May, Slater wrote on Instagram, “Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world. – from me and this little guy.” Grande “liked” the post.
The previous November, the SpongeBob SquarePants Broadway alum shared a tribute to “best friend,” Jay, on their fourth wedding anniversary.
“4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet,” Slater wrote, sharing various photos of the pair over the years.
Slater’s new romance with Grande comes after she and Gomez separated earlier this year following nearly two years of marriage. A source told PEOPLE Monday that the former couple “have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship” since.
An insider told PEOPLE this week that Grande’s work on the Wicked movie overseas was partially to blame, as it put a long-distance strain on the pair (Gomez, 27, is a luxury real-estate agent based in Los Angeles).
