If you’re wondering when SpongeBob SquarePants actor Ethan Slater told his estranged wife, Lilly Jay, that he was casually dating his Wicked costar Ariana Grande, the answer is … literally right before the news broke on July 20.
Us Weekly reports that Slater told Jay about Grande (and explained that he wanted to split up) just days before the public learned about their relationship. As a source put it, “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!”
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This comes after multiple sources insisting that both Grande and Slater had broken things off with their respective spouses before they started dating. And another source stressed this point again to Us Weekly, saying they “were separated when they started dating and the relationship is recent. It’s understandable that it’s difficult to see an ex move on, especially in such a public way, and they are trying to be as respectful as possible.”
So yeah, a lot of conflicting info!
Anyway, this source also notes that “Ariana and Ethan weren’t careful. They’d hold hands on set in between takes. They were sloppy and not hiding it.”
According to the timeline, Grande and her estranged husband, Dalton Gomez, ended things all the way back in January—and he’s also been dating other people. Meanwhile, Slater was gushing over Jay as recently as May, when he wrote on Instagram: “Happy first Mother’s Day, to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world, from me and this little guy.”
As of now neither Slater nor Grande have said anything about their relationship status, but again: The Wicked press tour should be … interesting!
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.
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