Ethan Slater’s Estranged Wife Lilly Jay ‘Devastated’ Amid His Ariana Grande Romance, Source Says

Ethan Slater‘s estranged wife Lilly Jay is “devastated” by the news that he and his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande are Dating.

A source close to Jay tells ET she’s “devastated” by the breakup with her husband and that “this is not the future she had in mind.” The source adds, “She’s doing her best to get back on her feet. She’s incredibly smart and driven” and “she is truly the best mother.”

Slater married Jay, his former high school classmate, in 2018. The Couple welcomed their first child, a son, last year. In November 2022, Slater shared an anniversary tribute to his wife on Instagram, writing, “My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet.” Grande liked the post.

On Monday, a source confirmed to ET that Grande and Dalton Gomez had separated after two years of marriage, noting that the pair — who tied the knot in May 2021, five months after announcing their engagement — “ultimately were just not a good fit.”

Then, just three days later, a source confirmed to ET that Grande and Slater are dating.

“Ariana and Ethan recently started dating. They have a lot in common and have a lot of fun,” the source said. “They didn’t start dating until both were broken up with their significant others. Ariana and Dalton remain friends.”

TMZ, who was first to report the news, shared a picture of the pair together from the Wicked cast’s celebration of Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win back in March.

Just hours after news of his new romance surfaced, Slater made his Instagram account private. He had 84,000 followers at the time he locked up his account.

Slater plays Boq in director Jon M. Chu’s upcoming adaptation of the beloved musical — a Munchkin who is deeply in love with (but ultimately, romantically rejected by) Galinda, played by Grande. (Boq later becomes the Tin Man as Wicked sets up the world of The Wizard of Oz.)

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