Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater are reportedly still going strong despite keeping their distance at the London premiere of Wicked For Good.
The 32-year-old singer, who stars as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in the highly anticipated second instalment of the blockbuster musical, sparked split rumours after she and Slater, who plays Boq and later becomes the Tin Man, avoided being photographed together on the red carpet on Monday.
However, insiders have now claimed the pair remain “very much together” and reunited privately after the event.
“Ariana and Ethan are still a couple but they’ve seen the chatter online and it’s not been easy,” a source told The Sun. “They were both at the Leicester Square premiere and the after-party at Brasserie Zédel, but made sure they weren’t seen together. When Ariana left the after-party, she went back to her hotel suite. Not long after, Ethan was taken there to spend time with her.”
The couple are said to be keeping their romance low-key while the singer focuses on promoting Wicked: For Good and balancing her chart comeback. Both are reportedly keen to keep the spotlight on the film rather than their relationship.
At the premiere, Grande dazzled in a one-shoulder black gown while Slater looked smart in a satin grey suit.
The pair’s romance began in mid-2023 while filming Wicked in London. News of their relationship broke shortly after Grande’s split from husband Dalton Gomez, and while Slater was still married to Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a young son.
By November that year, the pair were rumoured to be living together in New York during Slater’s run in Broadway’s Spamalot.
Their relationship has since weathered public scrutiny and inspired lyrics on Grande’s latest singles Yes, And? and The Boy Is Mine, widely interpreted as addressing the backlash.
Despite months of speculation that they’ve quietly parted ways, sources maintain the couple are “on and off” but still together.
Some reports suggest they may wait until Wicked: For Good’s release hype and awards-season campaign have passed before making any formal announcement.
Slater previously admitted Grande’s global fame can be “intense”, describing her fanbase as “ferocious” in a recent interview, a challenge insiders say both are learning to navigate as they continue their relationship away from the cameras.
