who he is, how they met, and a timeline of what has actually been confirmed — as opposed to what was reported by people with no access to either of them.
the short answer
ethan slater is an american stage actor, born in 1992, best known for originating spongebob in the spongebob musical on broadway — a performance that earned him a tony nomination in 2018. he plays boq in the wicked films, which is where he and ariana grande met. their relationship became public in july 2023 and, as of this page's last check, they are still together.
who ethan slater is
he is a stage actor first, and a fairly serious one. born in 1992 and raised outside washington dc, he came up through theatre and originated the role of spongebob in the spongebob musical on broadway in 2017 — a part that sounds like a joke until you watch it, and which earned him a tony nomination for best actor in a musical in 2018. his other credits are largely stage and small television.
in the wicked films he plays boq, the munchkin whose unrequited attachment to glinda drives a chunk of the plot's second half. it is a supporting part, and being cast in it is not the reason most people know his name.
the timeline
| when | what |
|---|---|
| late 2022 | filming on the two wicked films begins in the uk. the cast, including grande and slater, are based there for the shoot. |
| january 2023 | grande and dalton gomez separate, which is later confirmed in their divorce filing. |
| july 2023 | the relationship is first reported. slater files for divorce from lilly jay in the same month. |
| september 2023 | grande files for divorce from gomez, citing irreconcilable differences and a january 2023 separation date. |
| march 2024 | grande's divorce is finalised. |
| november 2024 | wicked is released. the two appear together through the press tour and award season. |
| november 2025 | wicked: for good is released, closing out the production that started the whole sequence. |
why it drew the reaction it did
the relationship became public roughly at the point that both parties' previous marriages were ending, and slater's former partner spoke to the press in a way that made her position clear. the resulting backlash was substantial and lasted the better part of a year.
the checkable part of it is small: both of them separated from their spouses before the relationship was reported, and both divorces went through the courts in the ordinary way. everything beyond that — sequence, timing, who knew what — is a private matter between four people, at least one of whom is not a public figure at all and did not choose any of this. this page does not speculate about it, and the pages that do are guessing.
where things stand
the two have remained together through both film releases, both award seasons and the run-up to the eternal sunshine tour. neither has announced an engagement or a marriage. if you want the current status rather than the history, that is who she is dating, which carries its own verification date.
questions people ask
who is ethan slater?
an american stage actor born in 1992. he originated spongebob in the spongebob musical on broadway and was nominated for a tony award for it in 2018, and he plays boq in the two wicked films.
how did ariana grande and ethan slater meet?
on the set of the wicked films, which shot in the uk from late 2022. she plays glinda; he plays boq.
are ariana grande and ethan slater still together?
as of this page's last check they are. we date every claim on this page rather than leaving it to age silently — see the verification stamp at the foot of the article.
are ariana grande and ethan slater married?
no. neither has announced an engagement or a marriage.
why was the relationship controversial?
it became public in july 2023 as both of their previous marriages were ending, and slater's former partner spoke publicly about it. the verifiable facts are that both had separated from their spouses beforehand and both divorces proceeded through the courts; the rest is private and this page does not speculate on it.