At this point, there has been no official separation or divorce announcement regarding Slater and his wife beyond People’s report. Slater quickly goes private on Instagram after reports of his relationship with Grande go viral.
July 21, 2023: Sources tell Page Six that Slater’s wife was “completely blindsided” by his relationship with Grande. “It’s horrible. They were high school sweethearts. They have a baby! She’s a wreck,” a source says.
July 25, 2023: An insider comes forward with more shady allegations, framing Grande and Slater as rather callous in their brazenness. According to a source that spoke to Us Weekly, Slater informed his wife of the new relationship mere days before news broke, and it wasn’t a secret on the set of Wicked, either. “Ariana and Ethan weren’t careful,” Us reports. “They’d hold hands on set in between takes. They were sloppy and not hiding it.”
“Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce,” the source added. “Lilly never saw it coming!”
July 26, 2023: Slater has officially filed for divorce from Lilly Jay. Us Weekly confirms that the SpongeBob actor filed divorce papers in New York City on the 26th, though whatever the speculation, the reasons for divorce were not listed on the documents.
July 27, 2023: Jay allegedly breaks her silence with a statement to Page Six. “[Ariana’s] the story, really. Not a girl’s girl,” Jay reportedly said. “My family is just collateral damage.”
July 29, 2023: TMZ reports that Grande is giving Slater “space” to “work things out” with Jay regarding their divorce. While the report suggests that the new couple “haven’t been in the same city for several weeks,” sources say they are “100% still dating.”
August 2, 2023: According to Us Weekly, Grande is being advised to “take things slower” with Slater. “She’s very aware of how she’s perceived by her fans, and she’s trying to be mature,” their source claims. “[But] if it were up to her, she’d be seen with him tomorrow.”
August 3, 2023: Daily Mail reports that Grande and Slater were seen kissing before the Spongebob star had broken things off with his wife, Lilly Jay. “They were sloppy on set,” a source says, claiming they were together long before the world found out. “They were seen being all over each other while he was still supposedly happily married to Lilly.” The source continues, “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].”
The source also claims Grande and Gomez went on “multiple” double dates with Slater and Jay. “Ariana and Dalton went on double dates with Ethan and Lilly several times—and they were seen out by cast members,” the source says. “Lilly and Ethan also met Ariana’s family together, including her mom and her brother.”
