Although it hasn’t always been pop-u-lar with the public, Ariana Grande’s relationship with her “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater is now Instagram-official.
The “Eternal Sunshine” singer on Monday celebrated the Jon M. Chu-directed movie musical’s upcoming release with a carousel of photos from its Australian premiere. Among them is a candid shot of Slater — who plays Boq, of Munchkinland — carrying the train of Grande’s Glinda-inspired Vivienne Westwood gown as she makes her way down the stairs at Sydney’s State Theatre. (Slater shared the same photo on his account.)
Slater’s appearance on the Sunday premiere’s red (yellow) carpet also swept across social media after a fan filmed the Tony Award nominee accepting a friendship bracelet on Grande’s behalf.
“Is it possible for you to give this to Ari for me?” the fan asks in the video, to which Slater replies, “I’m pretty sure she’s coming if you want [to give it to her], but I can do that.” He also reassured the fan, saying, “I’m sure she’ll love it.”
Footage of the interaction went viral shortly after it was re-shared by a “Wicked” fan account, whose owner wrote, “Ethan Slater seems like the kindest and most genuine person. The world owes him an apology.”
Slater and Grande, who met on the “Wicked” set, came under scrutiny when they first sparked dating rumors in 2023 — after their respective (and highly publicized) splits from previous partners. At the time of the coinciding divorce filings, Slater’s ex-wife, singer Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a 2-year-old son, told Page Six, “My family is collateral damage.”
The pair has since kept mum about their romance. But that changed in September, when Grande addressed the media stir surrounding her relationship with Slater in a Vanity Fair cover story.
While declining to delve into “certain details,” the Grammy-winning songstress said, “It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids.”
She continued to say that, like many other “Wicked” cast members, she “went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie.”
“The most disappointing part,” Grande said, “was to see so many people believe the worst version of it. … There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about [Slater]. No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about.”
Slater echoed Grande’s comments in his October GQ cover story, saying the blowback was difficult to manage.
“There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening,” he said, “so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love.”
“But, of course,” he conceded, “it was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing, and I’m just really excited.”
Slater added that he’s “really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done” on “Wicked.”
“She’s poured herself into it,” he said, “and I’m really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did.”
The Journey Through Oz press tour will continue across four more cities around the world, with stops scheduled in Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York and London before “Wicked” opens in U.S. theaters Nov. 22.
And when the credits roll, Grande will be listed with her full name, Ariana Grande-Butera — which incorporates the last names of her mother, Joan Grande, and her father, Edward Butera.
“Technically, it’s little Ari’s name,” she said, explaining the decision in a recent interview with Australian radio station Hit 104.7 Canberra. “I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned from Glinda, from Elphaba, and you know, that was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old — and it felt like a really lovely way of honoring that.”