Ariana Grande's boyfriend Ethan Slater finalizes divorce from Lilly Jay - over a year after he started dating pop star
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Ariana Grande's boyfriend Ethan Slater has finalized his divorce from Lilly Jay, coming to a settlement after separating last year.
Documents obtained by TMZ showed that a judge signed off on the arrangement as of Thursday.
It comes a little over a year after the 31-year-old pop star and Broadway actor, 32, struck up a romance on the set of their upcoming multi-part movie Wicked.
Slater filed for divorce on July 26, 2023, five years after he tied the knot with Jay, his high school sweetheart.
At the time, Grande was still married to Dalton Gomez; she filed for divorce in September 2023 and listed the date of separation as February 20, 2023.
Ariana Grande's boyfriend Ethan Slater has finalized his divorce from Lilly Jay, coming to a settlement after separating last year; Slater pictured with Lilly
It comes a little over a year after the 31-year-old pop star and Broadway actor, 32, struck up a romance on the set of their upcoming multi-part movie Wicked
Ariana's divorce was settled in October 2023, with the performer making a single $1,250,000 payment to Gomez in lieu of spousal support.
She also paid $25k of the real estate broker's attorney fees.
Grande and Slater met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, in which Ariana plays Glinda — the good witch — alongside Ethan as munchkin Boq.
Both parties announced they had split from their spouses within a few days of each other.
Ariana announced her separation from Dalton just three days before confirming her new relationship with Ethan, who then filed for divorce from Lilly.
He cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of their two-year-old son.
Lilly later damned Ariana in a series of disparaging interviews, telling Page Six the music artist is 'not a girl's girl' and adding that 'my family is just collateral damage' to her.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Lilly said last year that she was determined to move on with her life as a single mother.
Slater, who shares a two-year-old son with his ex, filed for divorce on July 26, 2023, five years after he tied the knot with Jay, his high school sweetheart; They are pictured 2018
Lilly previously damned Ariana in a series of disparaging interviews, telling Page Six the music artist is 'not a girl's girl' and adding that 'my family is just collateral damage' to her
Their romance came on the heels of Ariana's split from husband Dalton Gomez, 27. She filed for divorce in September 2023 and listed the date of separation as February 20, 2023; Seen with Gomez
Ethan showed support for his girlfriend on Friday, taking to social media to share a new Wicked trailer highlighting Ariana's portrayal of Glinda.
He wrote in an Instagram Stories post, 'Can't wait for everyone to meet Galinda.'
Following backlash over the timeline of their relationship, the couple has kept a low profile.
They were most recently spotted enjoying game One of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in June.
And in April, Ariana supported her beau as she attended the final performance of his Broadway musical Spamalot.
Last year it was reported that Ethan informed Lilly about his romance with Grande and asked for a divorce 'a few days before the news broke' according to Us Weekly.
'Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce. Lilly never saw it coming!'
Another insider close to the 'break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored' singer denied the claims while a third insider said Grande and Slater 'were separated when they started dating and the relationship is recent.'
Ethan showed support for his girlfriend on Friday, taking to social media to share a new Wicked trailer highlighting Ariana's portrayal of Glinda
Ariana and Ethan pictured with Wicked co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Yeoh
'It’s understandable that its difficult to see an ex move on, especially in such a public way, and they are trying to be as respectful as possible,' the third source went on.
The insider also added that the pair weren’t shy in front of the cast and crew, after connecting on set of the upcoming Wicked movie.
'Ariana and Ethan weren’t careful. They’d hold hands on set in between takes. They were sloppy and not hiding it.'
Previously it was reported that Slater's wife has been having a tough time dealing with the news of the romance.
The insider explained: 'It’s horrible. They were high school sweethearts. They have a baby! She's a wreck.'
It is interesting to note that Ethan had praised his estranged wife in a sweet Instagram post just two months before his apparent new romance with the singer was revealed.
Ethan shared the post on May 14 — Mother's Day — in which he sang his wife Lilly Jay's praises just two months before he was reported to be dating the Dangerous Woman superstar.
In his Mother's Day post, Ethan also revealed that the couple's first child, who was born in 2022, was a boy.
'Happy first Mother's Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world,' he wrote, signing it '- from me and this little guy.'
Grande and Slater met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked; pictured in June
The post shared few details about Ethan's marriage or his son, and instead he posted an out-of-focus shot of the little boy from behind, with his much clearer shadow projected on a wall in front of him.
A second photo showed an adults hand — presumably Ethan's — while feeding the little boy, whose hand was covered with food.
It's unclear from the post, which got a like from Ariana, if Ethan and Lilly were still together at that time.
The couple, who were high school classmates, tied the knot back in 2018.
