Ariana Grande’s Friends Allegedly Aren’t Too Happy As Fallout From Her Affair With Wicked Co-Star Ethan Slater Continues To Play Out

Massive speculation continues to swirl around Ariana Grande in the wake of her reported affair with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. 30-year-old Grande – who’s currently married to real estate broker Dalton Gomez – reportedly became close with her (also-married) castmate while filming the Broadway musical adaptation. Since then, the 31-year-old Slater has filed for divorce from his wife and is apparently working out the situation with her. All the while, sources claim Grande is giving them the necessary space. As the drama continues to play out, it’s been claimed that the singer’s friends aren’t all that happy with her. 

An insider claims the Grammy winner’s inner circle is starting to break down due to the stories surrounding her latest relationship. The unnamed individual told Life & Style that the entertainer isn’t being viewed as a “girl’s girl” at this point. Based on the sentiments shared, there’s a lack of trust between the starlet and those she calls her friends. And apparently, the “girl code” factors into this purported strife as well:

Ariana didn’t just break girl code. She shattered it into a million pieces, and that’s going to be tough to bounce back from. … There’s a very real sense of ‘lock up your husband’ when it comes to being around her now.

That last declaration seems to hint at Ariana Grande’s history of reportedly being involved in other people’s breakups. Grande began dating Big Sean in 2014, shortly after the latter’s breakup from Naya Rivera. The late actress would later imply in her book that Sean cheated on her with the Victorious alum. And before Grande began dating late rapper Mac Miller in 2016, it was reported that the two had been seeing her while Miller was still in a relationship with longtime girlfriend Nomi Leasure.

By 2018, the “Thank U, Next" singer began dating Pete Davidson not long after he and Cazzie David ended their two-and-a-half year relationship. David allegedly reached out to Davidson days after the split, saying that she didn’t intend to break up, though he said he was content with it. (After ending the romance days later, he went public with the songstress.)

More recently, the singer’s two-year marriage came into question in July after she was spotted without her wedding ring at Wimbledon. Sources reported the following week that she and Dalton Gomez were heading for divorce. Per the information reported at the time, the couple had been separated since early 2023. It would only be a few days later that her relationship with her Wicked co-star would rise to the surface. 

Those close to the situation claim Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were “sloppy” when it came to keeping their relationship under wraps. One person alleged that they were spotted “making out at a pub” and “were all over each other at Michelle Yeoh's Oscar party.” In addition to those allegations, someone also asserted that Slater and Grande went on double dates with their respective spouses amid the affair. 

Ethan Slater’s estranged wife, Lilly Jay, broke her silence on the situation just a few weeks ago and didn’t mince words. In a brief statement, she reasoned that the singer and her husband are at the true center of the story, while her family is “just collateral damage.” 

Of course, as of this writing, none of Ariana Grande’s friends have spoken out with statements that are equally as honest. It’s interesting to hear, however, that her social circle has allegedly been impacted by this latest situation. If that is indeed true, one can only imagine how Grande might seek to rectify the matter on that end as she continues to deal with public blowback.

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Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.