Ariana Grande & Ethan Slater Reportedly Weren't Shy About Their Affair While Filming Wicked

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's controversial relationship has taken over headlines almost as much as their promo for the "Wicked" movies. Meeting on the set of "Wicked", the couple was both already married when they allegedly started their affair, Slater having just welcomed a son with his wife Lilly Jay. Thus, the beginning of their relationship became riddled with rumors, secrecy, and shame as the internet speculated about the actors' seemingly close connection to one another. Since their first introduction on set, Grande and Slater have split from their partners and announced their relationship. As "Wicked: For Good" makes its release in theaters in November 2025, an insider spoke with The Daily Mail and revealed that the pair were not keeping their cheating quiet on set during the first film's 2022 production. 

"They were sloppy on set," the source told the publication, "They were seen being all over each other." This description of the actors' shameless behavior on set further digs the couple's public grave as the announcement of their relationship, and subsequent essay from Jay, cast Grande and Slater in a light filtered with betrayal and controversy. If the claim is true, Grande, who has a history of cheating with partners, perpetuates the image of a homewrecker that has been stapled onto her pop star persona. The source continued, "They were seen making out at a pub in Hampstead, and they were all over each other at Michelle Yeoh's Oscar party [in March]," before Slater and Grande divorced their partners. 

In a profile for Vanity Fair from back in September 2024, Ariana Grande reflected on the social pushback she received from her relationship with Ethan Slater. At the time of the profile, Slater had just finalized his divorce from ex-wife Lilly Jay, when Grande was already commenting on their relationship. She told the magazine, "The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it," before adding, "That was definitely a tough ride."

Slater shared his own response to the backlash over his controversial romance in his GQ profile from October 2024. The "SpongeBob: The Musical" actor shared, "There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it's really hard to see people who don't know anything about what's happening commenting on it and speculating and then getting things wrong about the people you love. So just to address that part of it, that feels really hard."

However, according to Jay's essay she wrote for The Cut, she was unaware of the distance that had grown between her and her husband. In fact, the new mother had moved to a whole new country to support Slater's up-and-coming career when he was cast in "Wicked". As she navigated her recovery from childbirth and her new role as a mother in a new country, she was hit with rumors of her husband's affair.