
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater They fell for each other on set evilBut their romance could not stand the test of time. The former couple reportedly called it quits earlier this year, and now that Ariana is kicking off her world tour, fans are wondering what led to her breakup with Ethan.
As Arie’s fans already know, her relationship with the Broadway actor sparked controversy when it was revealed in July 2023, the same month that Ethan filed for divorce from his ex-wife. Lily Jay. The parents were high school sweethearts, sharing a child together. As for Ariana, the “7 Rings” pop singer separated from her ex-husband. Dalton Gomezearlier that year.
Here’s what we know so far about Ethan and Ariana’s split.

When did Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater start dating?
Ariana and Ethan kept most of the details of their relationship out of the public eye, but news of their romance came to light in July 2023. They had met in December 2022 when they started filming. evil.
Why did Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater break up?
Neither Ariana nor Ethan have spoken publicly about their breakup. However, according to the peopletheir split was “amicable” and “they gave it a lot of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways.”
“They are still friends and very supportive of each other,” a source told the outlet in June 2026. “They quietly broke up for several months.”
Ethan subtly showed his support for his ex-girlfriend by ‘liking’ one of her Instagram posts in her midst Eternal sunshine tour.
Why did Ariana Grande break up with her ex-husband?
Ariana and Dalton separated after two years of marriage due to irreconcilable differences. Some media outlets reported that the couple was experiencing long distance after the Nickelodeon alum went to England to begin filming evil.
Why did Ethan Slater divorce his ex-wife?
Ethan and his ex-wife Lily never stated the exact reason for their divorce, but she was candid about the impact their separation had on her as a new mother in a 2024 article via Pieces.
“I never thought I would get divorced,” Lilly, a licensed clinical psychologist, admitted in the article. “Especially not only after the birth of my first child, but especially with my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity.”
Lily continued that she was “consumed by the magic and realism of new motherhood,” so she “did not understand the growing distance between her” and Ethan.
“As a perinatologist, I knew all the statistics — how vulnerable marriage is in the postpartum period, how important community outreach is in preventing depression and anxiety, and how new parenthood affects the entire family,” she explained. “But I confidently moved to another country with my two-month-old baby and my husband to support his career.”
Despite the sadness of their divorce, Lily emphasized that she and Ethan agreed on one thing: their son.
“While our partnership has changed, our parenting has not,” she concluded. “We both love our son deeply 100% of the time, no matter how we divide up our parenting time.”

