Ethan Slater has reportedly filed for divorce from his estranged wife, Lilly Jay, amid rumors that he’s dating his “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande, according to TMZ.
Slater filed for divorce in New York on Wednesday, the outlet reports.
The reason for the split is still on the hush-hush, but the news comes amid multiple reports that Jay is crushed over Slater’s reported romance with Grande.
Neither Grande nor Slater have publicly confirmed a relationship together, but the news of Slater’s divorce comes about 10 days after multiple outlets reported that Grande had called it quits with her real estate agent husband of two years, Dalton Gomez.
Slater married Jay in 2018, while Grande tied the knot with Gomez in May 2021.
TMZ reports its sources say Jay and Slater aren’t on good terms and that she feels “betrayed” over the duo’s budding relationship considering Grande used to spend time with Slater and Jay as a couple.
A source told Page Six last week that Jay was “completely blindsided” by the news of the Grammy winner and “SpongeBob SquarePants” Broadway actor dating, adding: “It’s horrible. They were high school sweethearts. They have a baby! She’s a wreck.”
Us Weekly also reported that Slater didn’t break the news to Jay about his romance with Grande until just days before the news hit the internet on July 20.
Meanwhile, sources close to the couple told TMZ that Grande and Slater’s relationship started “several months ago” but that they didn’t get together until after he was separated from Jay.
The co-stars’ dating news comes just two months after Slater posted a touching tribute to Jay ― his high school sweetheart ― on social media in May for Mother’s Day. Slater and Jay welcomed a baby boy last year.
“Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world,” Slater reportedly captioned the Instagram post, alongside a glimpse of their son’s shadow. “― from me and this little guy,” the actor added. Slater has since made his Instagram profile private.
On Grande’s end, sources told TMZ that the “Thank U, Next” singer had zero issues with Gomez moving on after reports surfaced that he had been dating other people for months amid the split.
“They came to the decision together,” an insider told Page Six. “They were having problems before January, but they want to remain best friends.”
A separate source told TMZ that “Ari and Ethan are just trying to lay low and be respectful of their exes as they pursue this new relationship.”
Reps for Grande and Slater did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment.