Ethan Slater Steps Out Solo for the First Time Since His Quiet Split From Ariana Grande, and Here’s What We Know

After nearly three years of red carpets, Wicked premieres, and very-online relationship speculation, Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande have reportedly called it quits.

And just days after the news broke, Slater made his first public appearance as a single man, stepping out for a casual night of Shakespeare in Central Park. Here is everything we know so far.

The First Sighting: A Green Carpet, a Silver Chain, and Shakespeare in the Park

Let’s set the scene. Ethan Slater was spotted on Thursday, June 11, at Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. For an event built around literature’s most famous breakup story, the timing was almost too perfect.

The 34-year-old Wicked star kept his look relaxed for the outing, opting for a white T-shirt, black trousers, white trainers, and a silver chain as he walked the green carpet. It was a casual yet stylish choice for the night, and by most accounts, Slater appeared to be in good spirits.

This was not just any night out for the actor. The Romeo and Juliet outing marked Slater’s first public appearance since he and Grande had quietly ended their relationship months earlier, after roughly three years together.

So while the production itself was a tragedy about star-crossed lovers, Slater’s appearance there seemed to send a pretty clear, low-key message: life goes on, and so does his calendar of theater events.

What We Know About the Split

Here is where things get interesting, because despite three years of intense tabloid scrutiny, the actual breakup appears to have happened about as quietly as possible.

A source said that the split was amicable, explaining, “It’s amicable, they gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways.

They are still friends and very supportive of one another.” The same source noted that Slater and Grande had quietly ended their relationship months before the news became public, which means whatever had happened between them had already played out well before anyone outside their inner circle had any idea.

That detail alone is kind of remarkable when you consider how closely this couple has been followed since they first got together.

Sources confirmed back on July 20, 2023, that Grande and Slater were dating, describing the relationship as fairly new at the time, coming shortly after Grande’s split from Dalton Gomez in January and Slater’s separation from his then-wife, Lilly Jay.

Slater filed for divorce from Jay on July 26, 2023, just days after his relationship with Grande became public. The pair had married in November 2018 and shared one son.

From there, the relationship became one of the most talked-about in Hollywood, largely because of how it began.

Grande and Slater first met on the London set of Wicked in 2022 and began dating in the summer of 2023, after both had recently filed for divorce from their previous spouses.

An insider described the early relationship to Us Weekly in November 2023, saying, “They’re a little dorky and both theater geeks at heart. She loves that about him. It’s mutual.

Their relationship is blossoming. It’s effortless with zero drama.” By October 2023, the couple had already moved in together in New York City.

Despite the rocky start, the relationship was not without its bumps along the way, at least according to various reports over the past year.

A Daily Mail report claimed the pair had been “on and off” for much of the past year, with an alleged insider saying the relationship had been described as toxic, and noting Slater reportedly skipped the MTV VMAs with Grande after the two had an argument days earlier, though they apparently made up soon after.

Another source described a “rough patch” that nearly led to a split, though added, “They never broke up, but it was questionable at a point if they were going to continue moving forward,” before noting the couple had since focused on rebuilding their connection and were “in a much better place”.

Throughout it all, the couple kept their relationship notably private. In the three years since they met in 2022, Grande and Slater have never walked a red carpet together and have rarely been caught by paparazzi, with the only joint appearances coming when they were both promoting Wicked.

The last time the two were photographed together in public was reportedly at the 2025 Oscars in March, where they shared some sweet PDA, hugging and sitting next to each other.

They did occasionally throw fans a bone, though. Grande shared a rare photo of the two of them at the European premiere of Wicked: For Good in November 2025, putting earlier breakup rumors to rest.

So between the quiet timeline, the on-and-off rumors, and the rare public appearances, it sounds like this breakup was less of a dramatic explosion and more of a slow fade that the two of them handled almost entirely behind closed doors, only confirming it once they were both ready.

What’s Next for Grande and Slater

As for what each of them is focused on now, both seem to be moving forward with busy professional chapters of their own.

Grande is reportedly concentrating on her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which kicked off on June 6, 2026, along with her upcoming album “Petal,” set for release on July 31. Between a major tour and a new album just weeks away, it is safe to say her schedule is not exactly leaving room to dwell.

Slater, for his part, appears to continue showing up for the theater community he has always been part of.

His appearance at Shakespeare in the Park fits a pattern of supporting New York’s stage scene, an industry he has been connected to long before Wicked ever entered the picture.

Slater previously starred in the SpongeBob SquarePants musical, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination in 2018, so a night at the Delacorte Theater is very much in his wheelhouse.

What stands out most about this whole story, honestly, is how undramatic it has been so far. No public statements packed with subtext, no dueling Instagram posts, no awkward run-ins caught on camera.

Just two people who reportedly took their time, made a decision together, and are apparently still on good terms.

As one source summarized it, the pair “gave lots of time and careful consideration” before deciding to part ways, which, compared to how most celebrity breakups tend to unfold in public, is about as graceful an ending as it gets.

Whether this is truly the end of the story for Grande and Slater, or whether their famously private relationship still has a few surprises left, remains to be seen.

But for now, Slater has taken his first step back into public life solo, Grande is busy launching a new era of her career, and the rest of us are left simply wishing both of them well, while maybe also appreciating the irony of a guy fresh off a breakup spending his Thursday night watching the most famous romantic tragedy ever written.