So, let's just address the elephant in the room right away. When people talk about Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater, the first thing that pops into everyone’s head isn’t necessarily a chart-topping pop star or a Tony-nominated Broadway actor. It’s a sponge. Specifically, a very yellow, very square sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea.
Honestly, the internet is a weird place. For a solid year, social media was basically one giant "SpongeBob" meme at Ariana’s expense. You’ve seen them—the side-by-side photos of her in her high-fashion Glinda gowns next to Ethan in his full, neon-yellow Broadway prosthetics. But there is a lot more to this story than just a quirky casting coincidence or a viral TikTok joke.
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The Wicked Connection That Changed Everything
Most people assume this whole thing started because Ariana has a thing for musical theater. I mean, she does—she literally got her start on Broadway in 13. But her path didn't cross with the "SpongeBob" guy until they both landed in London to film the massive Wicked adaptation.
Ariana was cast as Glinda (the Good Witch), and Ethan was cast as Boq. If you aren't a theater nerd, Boq is the munchkin who is hopelessly in love with Glinda but eventually ends up as the Tin Man. Life imitates art, right? Sorta.
Filming began in late 2022. At the time, Ariana was still married to real estate agent Dalton Gomez, and Ethan was married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay. They’d just had a baby. This is where things get messy, and where the "SpongeBob" jokes turned into something a lot more heated.
Timeline Troubles and the "Girl’s Girl" Drama
The internet loves a villain. When news broke in July 2023 that Ariana and Ethan were officially a couple, the backlash was instant. People were doing the math on the timeline like they were preparing for a calculus final.
- January 2023: Ariana and Dalton Gomez reportedly separate.
- May 2023: Ariana celebrates her second wedding anniversary on Instagram (which she later deleted).
- July 17, 2023: News breaks that Ariana and Dalton are over.
- July 20, 2023: Sources confirm Ariana is dating her Wicked co-star, Ethan Slater.
- July 26, 2023: Ethan officially files for divorce from Lilly Jay.
Lilly Jay didn't stay quiet either. She told Page Six that Ariana was "not a girl’s girl" and that her family was "collateral damage." That quote went nuclear. Suddenly, everyone had an opinion on whether the "SpongeBob" actor had left his wife and newborn for a pop star.
Ariana’s team has always maintained that both parties were already separated before anything romantic started. Whether you believe that or not usually depends on how much you like her music. But regardless of the optics, by late 2023, the two were inseparable. They were spotted at Disney World (very on-brand for him, honestly), having dinner with her dad in NYC, and supporting each other at theater premieres.
Why the SpongeBob Label Stuck
It’s funny how a single role can define a man’s entire public identity. Ethan Slater is a massive talent. He’s a writer, a composer, and an incredible physical comedian. But because he played the title character in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, the world just won’t let him be anyone else.
Even the SpongeBob voice actor, Tom Kenny, had to have his wife clarify on Instagram that he wasn't the one dating Ariana. People were actually confused!
The irony is that his role in Wicked is basically the polar opposite of a happy-go-lucky sponge. Boq is a bit of a "nice guy" trope gone wrong. He’s obsessive, he’s a bit of a simp for Glinda, and he eventually turns into a literal man without a heart. Ethan’s performance is reportedly fantastic, but the "SpongeBob" shadow is long. It didn’t help that Ariana’s 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine, seemed to double down on the relationship.
Eternal Sunshine and the Lyrics Most People Missed
When Eternal Sunshine dropped in March 2024, everyone was looking for tea. They found it. In the song "yes, and?" Ariana basically told the world to mind their own business regarding "whose dick [she] rides." Classy? Maybe not. Effective? Definitely.
But the deeper cuts tell a more nuanced story. In "imperfect for you," she calls the relationship a "happy disaster." She’s acknowledging that the way they started was chaotic and messy, but she doesn't seem to care.
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Then came the deluxe version in 2025, which gave us the track "Hampstead." For those who don't know, Hampstead is the area in London where they lived while filming. The lyrics are pretty blunt: "I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead... Threw away my reputation but saved us more heartache." It’s her most honest admission yet that she knew how bad this looked to the public, but she felt it was worth the hit to her "good girl" image.
Where Are They Now?
As of early 2026, the couple is surprisingly stable. While most people expected a "rebound" split once the Wicked press tour ended, they’ve actually moved into a much more serious phase. There are even whispers about a 2026 wedding.
Insiders say Ariana is "pro-marriage" despite her divorce from Dalton. She’s been spotted wearing a ring that isn't quite an engagement diamond but definitely isn't just costume jewelry. They’ve spent the last two years blending their lives, supporting each other through the release of Wicked: Part One and the 2025 sequel Wicked: For Good.
The Reality of Celebrity Overlap
We see this all the time in Hollywood. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, anyone? The Light Between Oceans? Sets are high-pressure, emotional environments. When you’re playing characters who are supposed to be infatuated with each other for twelve hours a day, lines get blurred.
Does that excuse the "collateral damage" to their former partners? That's for the individuals involved to settle. But the idea that this was just a PR stunt for the movie has basically been debunked by the sheer length of time they've stayed together. You don't take your "PR boyfriend" to have dinner with your dad and buy a Christmas tree together in 2024 if it's just for the cameras.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Critics
If you're still trying to make sense of the Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater saga, here’s how to look at it without the tabloid bias:
- Separate the Art from the Actor: Ethan Slater is a Tony-nominated performer. Whether or not you like his personal life, his career trajectory from Nickelodeon-adjacent Broadway to a massive Universal blockbuster is objectively impressive.
- Look Beyond the Memes: The "SpongeBob" jokes are funny, but they obscure the fact that these are two adults who went through very real, very public divorces.
- The "Wicked" Effect is Real: Expect more "show-mances" as the industry moves toward more long-form, intense filming schedules.
- Watch the Lyrics: If you want to know what Ariana is actually thinking, stop reading the tabloids and start listening to the B-sides of Eternal Sunshine. She’s been surprisingly transparent about the guilt and the "disaster" of it all.
The narrative has shifted from one of "scandal" to one of "stability." They survived the initial storm of public opinion, and now they’re just... a couple. A couple where one person happens to be a global icon and the other once played a very famous sea sponge.
To stay truly informed, keep an eye on the official Wicked production updates and the couple's rare, but increasingly frequent, red carpet appearances together. The era of hiding in the shadows is clearly over.