In 2023, Ethan Slater split from his wife of 5 years, Lilly Jay, following reports that the Tony-nominated actor was dating his Wicked co-star and now-ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande. The news about Ariana and Ethan‘s romance emerged on July 20, 2023. On July 26, 2023, Ethan filed for divorce from Lilly in Latest York, based on documents obtained by TMZ.
After Wicked was released in theaters, Lilly broke her silence over her public divorce in an essay published by The Cut. Without naming Ariana, Lilly opened up in regards to the “public downfall of [her] marriage.”
“Slowly but surely, I actually have come to consider that within the absence of the life I planned with my highschool sweetheart, a lifetime of sweetness is waiting for me and my child,” Lilly wrote. “Nobody gets married pondering they’ll get divorced, in the identical way we don’t board a plane expecting to crash. But I actually never thought I’d get divorced. Especially not only after giving birth to my first child and particularly not within the shadow of my husband’s latest relationship with a celeb.”
Lilly emphasized that she simply misses the “lifetime of invisibility” that she “created for [herself] as a psychologist specializing in women’s mental health.”
Discover more about Lilly and her relationship with Ethan here.
Lilly & Ethan Were High School Sweethearts
While Lilly and Ethan got married of their 20s, they were actually together from a much younger age. It was revealed that they were highschool classmates in a 2018 story about Ethan starring within the Spongebob Squarepants Musical on Broadway, per MoCo 360. The pair were engaged on the time. The Drama Desk Award winner revealed that they’d been dating since 2012 in an Instagram post in November 2022. “My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together,” he wrote within the tribute.
Lilly & Ethan Got Married in 2018
After six years together, Lilly and Ethan tied the knot in 2018. On the time, Ethan was starring in The Spongebob Musical because the title character. He also made occasional TV appearances on the time in shows like Law And Order: Special Victims Unit and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Lilly had also been his date to loads of red carpet events, just like the 2018 Tony Awards, where he was nominated for Best Actor In A Musical.
Lilly & Ethan Have a Son Together
After 4 years of marriage, Lilly and Ethan welcomed their son together in August in an Instagram post with a photograph of a “Wicked Cute” onesie. In May 2023, he paid tribute to his wife on Mother’s Day. “Completely satisfied first Mother’s Day to essentially the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person on the earth, from me and this little guy,” he wrote on Instagram.
Lilly Studied Psychology
After nearly 5 years of exertions, a whole bunch of hours researching and writing over 200 pages value of paradigm shifting thought in the sector of psychology, my wife finally defended her dissertation. I’m so pleased with her, and can’t wait to introduce her at parties as kiddo.
— Ethan Slater (@ethansaslater) December 15, 2020
While Ethan mostly kept his relationship with Lilly private, he did tweet congratulations for her after she accomplished work toward a psychology degree in December 2020. “After nearly 5 years of exertions, a whole bunch of hours researching and writing over 200 pages value of paradigm shifting thought in the sector of psychology, my wife finally defended her dissertation. I’m so pleased with her, and can’t wait to introduce her at parties as kiddo,” he wrote.
Lilly Addressed the Reports About Ethan & Ariana
Lilly broke her silence about Ethan and Ariana’s romance on July 27, 2023. “[Ariana’s] the story really. Not a lady’s girl. My family is just collateral damage,” Lilly said. On the time, she also said, “The story is her and Dalton,” speaking about Ariana and her estranged husband Dalton Gomez. Lily also told Page Six that she was focused on being “ mom” to her and Ethan’s son.