Ariana Grande‘s fans were shocked to learn on Thursday that she is in a new relationship with her Wicked costar Ethan Slater.
But the news instantly raised questions about when exactly Ariana and Ethan got together, and what the status is of his marriage to his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay.
Adding to the confusion was an Instagram post that Ethan shared on May 14 — Mother’s Day — in which he sang his wife’s praises just two months before he was reported to be dating the 30-year-old pop superstar.
Ethan, 31, began dating Ariana ‘several months ago’ while they were still filming Wicked, sources claimed to TMZ on Thursday, further muddling the timeline.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Ariana and Ethan for comment.
Odd timeline: Ethan Slater, who was reported to be dating Ariana Grande on Thursday, previously sang his wife Lilly Jay’s praises on May 14 — Mother’s Day; see in 2018 in NYC
Fuzzy math: Sources told TMZ that he and Ariana began dating ‘several months ago’ while filming Wicked, but also claimed that he and Lilly separated before he began dating the pop star
Ariana reportedly ended things with her husband Dalton Gomez in January of this year.
In his Mother’s Day post, Ethan also revealed that the couple’s first child, who was born late last year, was a boy. It was later reported that the boy is named Ezra.
‘Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world,’ he wrote, signing it ‘- from me and this little guy.’
The post shared few details about Ethan’s marriage or his son, and instead he posted an out-of-focus shot of the little boy from behind, with his much clearer shadow projected on a wall in front of him.
A second photo showed an adults hand — presumably Ethan’s — while feeding the little boy, whose hand was covered with food.
It’s unclear from the post, which got a like from Ariana, if Ethan and Lilly were still together at that time.
The couple, who were high school classmates, tied the knot back in 2018.
In January of this year, Ethan revealed his wife Lilly had welcomed a child together by posting a photo of a positive pregnancy test and a ‘Wicked Cute’ baby’s onesie, and he commented, ‘Super vague post, but we have a baby now.’
Another photo in the post showed the shadow of one of the parents pushing a stroller, which fit in with the vague theme and his desire to share few details about his child.
Sex reveal: In his Mother’s Day post, Ethan also revealed that the couple’s first child, who was born late last year, was a boy
Sweet: ‘Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world,’ he wrote, signing it ‘- from me and this little guy.’ It’s unclear from the post, which got a like from Ariana, if Ethan and Lilly were still together at that time
Growing family: In January of this year, Ethan revealed his wife Lilly had welcomed a child together by posting a photo of a positive pregnancy test and a ‘Wicked Cute’ baby’s onesie, and he commented, ‘Super vague post, but we have a baby now’
They go way back: The couple married in 2018 after being high school classmates
Celebration: In November, Ethan celebrated his fourth wedding anniversary on Instagram, where called called his wife, ‘My best friend.’ He added, ‘4 years married, 10 years together.’
TMZ’s sources also claimed that Ethan did not start dating Ariana until after he and Lilly had separated.
In November, Ethan celebrated his fourth wedding anniversary on Instagram, where called called his wife, ‘My best friend.’
He added, ‘4 years married, 10 years together.’
After news of the relationship broke, the Broadway star set his Instagram account — which the God Is A Woman singer followers — to private.
Ethan costars with Ariana in Wicked as Boq, a munchkin who falls in love with her character Glinda, though she goes by Galinda earlier in the story.
However, when she spurns his advances, he ends up with Nessarose, the sister of the green-skinned protagonist Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo.
When Nessarose casts a spell on him in a fit of jealously, Elphaba is forced to cast another spell to counteract the effects, which saves his life but turns him into the character known as the Tin Man.
Ethan has had a few small film roles up to this point, but the two-part adaptation of Wicked appears to be his most substantial film role to date.
He also appeared in a single episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel earlier this year, and he played the real-life actor Joel Gray — best known for playing the Emcee in the original Broadway production of Cabaret and the 1972 film adaptation — in the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon.
The show starred Sam Rockwell as the choreographer and dancer Bob Fosse, who later graduated to directing classic films including Cabaret and All That Jazz, while Michelle Williams played his third wife, Gwen Verdon, who danced in many of his works and served as his artistic muse.
Although Ethan’s list of film credits isn’t long, he has already established himself as a stage veteran.
Musical fans probably know him for playing the title character in the SpongeBob SquarePants musical. The role earned him a Drama Desk Award, as well as a prestigious Tony Award nomination.
Ethan was previously seen in a photo with Ariana that was snapped in March at a party in London honoring their Wicked costar Michelle Yeoh after she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Out of the spotlight: After news of the relationship broke, the Broadway star set his Instagram account — which the God Is A Woman singer followers — to private
Costars: Ethan costars with Ariana in Wicked as Boq, a munchkin who falls in love with her character Glinda, though she goes by Galinda earlier in the story
Love triangle: However, when she spurns his advances, he ends up with Nessarose, the sister of the green-skinned protagonist Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo; Ethan and Ariana seen May 31 on set
On set: Boq is later transformed into the Tin Man. He’s seen here with Ariana just two weeks after wishing his now-estranged wife Lilly a happy Mother’s Day
Having a blast: Ethan was previously seen in a photo with Ariana that was snapped in March at a party honoring their Wicked costar Michelle Yeoh after she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once
Famous faces: They were joined by costar Cynthia Erivo and Michelle’s former costar Anya Taylor-Joy, as well as Wicked’s director Jon M. Chu
The two lovebirds were seen sitting at a round table and beaming ear to ear while surrounded by Wicked costars and friends.
Cynthia Erivo, who plays the lead role as the green-skinned Elphaba opposite Ariana as Glinda the Good, leaned in to her costar and showed off an infectious smile.
The gathering also included Michelle’s former costar Anya Taylor-Joy, who appeared with her in the 2016 horror-thriller Morgan.
The film’s stars could be seen gathering around a table in a short clip from the event as a cake honoring the Malaysian actress, who initially starred in a string of classic Hong Kong action films before moving to the US and breaking into Hollywood productions.
