Who is Ariana Grande dating?
Although neither party have confirmed their new romance, many fans are convinced that Ariana Grande is currently dating actor Ethan Slater.
In December 2022, both Ariana and Ethan were announced as stars in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked. Shortly after, sources speaking to People in January 2023 claimed that Ariana and her then-husband Dalton Gomez had split after Ariana travelled to England for filming.
Two months later, Ariana's Wicked co-star Michelle Yeoh shared the first snap of the rumoured couple, with the cast celebrating Michelle's Academy Award win.
In July 2023, rumours of Ariana and Ethan's romance first made headlines after sources speaking to TMZ shared that the pair had allegedly begun dating shortly after meeting on set.
Speculation surrounding their new romance intensified following a report by TMZ that revealed Ethan had filed for divorce from his high-school sweetheart Lilly Jay less than one year after the birth of their first child.
Over the following months, Ariana and Ethan were spotted together at a number of Broadway shows and while many believed their hangouts to be strictly platonic, rumours reignited after news broke in September 2023 that Ariana and Dalton Gomez had filed for divorce.
As speculation continued to bubble, Ariana and Ethan were spotted together out for dinner on Christmas Eve with Ariana's father in New York City ahead of Ethan's Spamalot Broadway performance.
"They love to support each other in their work. When she's done with work, she loves going to the theatre when she can," a source told TMZ following the sighting.
Following the release of her latest album on March 8, 2024, an insider source speaking to the Daily Mail claimed that Ariana's song The Boy is Mine was directed at Ethan's ex-wife.
"Ariana basically rubbed it in [Ethan's ex-wife] Lilly's face that she stole Ethan from Lilly... Those close to Lilly believe she did this because she is upset that Ethan's divorce is still dragging out," the source claimed.
While the reports from the source remain unsubstantiated, Ariana did respond to social media backlash regarding the song, writing to her Instagram story, "I just wanted to say anyone that is sending hateful messages to people in my life based on your interpretation of this album is not supporting me and is absolutely doing the polar opposite of what I would ever encourage."
Speaking on the inspiration behind the song, Ariana told Zane Lowe, "There is a large group of my fans that really, they do love a bad girl anthem, and this is, I think, a kind of elevated version of that."
Following Ariana's message to her fans, Wicked co-star Bowen Yang took to his podcast to address the speculation surrounding his castmates, revealing that "the narrative is wrong."
"She's not even outwardly saying that, but the narrative has been incorrect, and people have even retracted things in these stories with no f***ing apology to the people involved," he stated, adding, "I can tell you for a fact that what people out there seem to be clinging onto is incorrect."
"I'm not going to reveal the actual facts because they're not mine to reveal. This is someone who has been a true friend to me... Leave it alone."