Ariana & Ethan Called It Quits Months Ago—Here’s Who He Is

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater ended their relationship way before the split made headlines. The \”Wicked\” co-stars had already broken up \”several months\” prior to news of their breakup going public, according to insiders. And here’s the tea: they’re staying friends.

So who is Ethan Slater anyway? He’s an actor and singer who rose to fame playing the lead role of SpongeBob SquarePants in the Broadway musical—yes, really. Before his \”Wicked\” era, Slater was basically a theater kid through and through, working the Broadway circuit and building a solid fanbase in the musical theater community.

The two met on the set of \”Wicked\” and sparked romance rumors pretty quickly. Ari was coming off her split from Dalton Gomez, and Slater was also dealing with his own relationship stuff. Their chemistry on set translated off-screen, and they became the Hollywood couple nobody saw coming.

But apparently the magic fizzled out. Multiple sources say the breakup was mutual and amicable—no drama, no cheating scandal, nothing messy. Just two people who realized the timing wasn’t right or the spark wasn’t strong enough to last. The fact that they’re keeping things friendly speaks volumes about how they handled the split.

Based on reporting from Page Six.