It’s no secret that Arianna Grande has moved on to another beau in her life: Ethan Slater, best known for his role as the voice of SpongeBob Squarepants. As happens with all celebrity relationships, their whirlwind romance has not come without speculation. Rumors have been swirling around that Grande broke up Slater’s relationship with his now ex-wife, Lilly Jay. Given the speed with which Grande and Slater’s relationship was confirmed, I can’t say I blame the gossip.
To make a long backstory short, it’s believed that Grande and Slater first met as co-stars on the set of “Wicked” back in the tail end of 2022. Fast forward to January 2023, Grande officially separated from her now ex-husband, Dalton Gomez. Six months later, Slater reportedly split from Jay. According to Buzzfeed News, multiple news outlets confirmed the Grande-Slater relationship just three days after TMZ announced that Grande and Gomez were looking to divorce that summer; this development also came to light within the same day of Slater and Jay’s confirmed separation.
Despite what some might believe, inside sources have denied the “homewrecker” claims. One source in a report from Glamour said that “Ariana and Ethan didn’t begin seeing each other until after both parties were separated, respectfully.”
Grande has also apparently responded to the backlash—according to the belief of some fans—in her new album, “Eternal Sunshine,” which was released on March 8. In a set of 13 songs, it touches upon her divorce with Gomez and the start of her relationship with Slater.
One particular set of lyrics from “Eternal Sunshine” has gained plenty of attention because some perceive that Grande is suggesting possible infidelity. Within the lyrics, she mentions that she got played by a man, possibly one of her exes, although who it is remains to be unknown.
To give you a sample of the words, she sings, “Showed you all my demons, all my lies / Yet you played me like Atari / Now it’s like I’m lookin’ in the mirror / Hope you feel alright when you’re in her / I found a good boy and he’s on my side.”
Many feel that Gomez is the man she’s pointing the finger at while “good boy” suggests that she’s referring to Slater. We don’t know the actual context, so she could be talking about something else entirely all together.
However, it may be that she has nothing against Gomez at all if you consider her interview about her new album on the Zach Sang Show. Grande said something along the lines of having no grudges against her exes and that the new album had nothing negative to say.
Whether we can take Grande at her word remains to be seen, but it looks like people just like to make drama out of nothing.