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Speculation is swirling about the status of Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s relationship following a recent interview appearance by Slater.
During a segment on the “Today” show on Friday, Slater was asked about the experience of working alongside his rumored girlfriend, Ariana Grande, on the set of “Wicked: For Good.” Rather than addressing the question directly, the 33-year-old actor diverted the conversation, choosing to praise the “incredible” ensemble cast instead.
Although Slater did acknowledge Grande’s talents, describing her as a “brilliant” actress, he also took the opportunity to commend Cynthia Erivo for her “remarkable” performance.
Slater expressed his admiration for watching both Grande and Erivo, aged 32 and 38 respectively, as they brought their characters Glinda and Elphaba to life, noting that observing their high-caliber performances up close was a “pretty special” experience for him.
Watching Grande and Erivo, 38, respectively play Glinda and Elphaba “from such a high level up close” was “pretty special” for Slater, he gushed.
“We filmed it years ago,” the Tony nominee explained to viewers. “I didn’t forget how amazing their performances were, but [I loved] getting to watch it with an audience.”
Slater noted that he has “sat in on the screenings at all the premieres” because it’s “fun” to “feel the energy of the audience.”
He concluded, “I’m so proud of everyone I got to work with. We’re, like, a family.”
Slater’s cryptic answers come amid swirling breakup rumors as he and Grande keep their distance on red carpets.
Reps for Slater and Grande did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Slater, notably, included a photo of the Grammy winner in an Instagram carousel earlier this month, but the pair did not show PDA in the snap.
They were first linked in July 2023, the same month Slater filed for divorce from wife Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a now-3-year-old son.
Jay subsequently blasted Grande, insisting to Page Six that the former Nickelodeon star was “not a girl’s girl.”
Grande, for her part, ended her marriage to real estate broker Dalton Gomez later that same year.
In a November 2024 “Entertainment Tonight” interview, the “Side to Side” singer praised her new partner as “adorable” and “amazing.”
Slater, for his part, referred to their relationship as “a beautiful thing” in a chat with GQ the previous month.
As for Jay, she gave rare insight into her and Slater’s co-parenting dynamic in a December 2024 essay published in the Cut.
“While our partnership has changed, our parenthood has not,” she wrote at the time. “Both of us fiercely love our son 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided.”
The therapist labeled days with the little one “sunny,” admitting, “Days when I can’t escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker.”