Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were spotted out with a group of friends at Disneyland for the first time since their divorces were both announced.
On Friday night, the pair were reportedly spotted walking arm-in-arm around a Disney park on Friday night, according to footage obtained by TMZ. In the video, the Wicked co-stars were seen enjoying time with friends as they were given a tour from a theme park guide.
A source told People, “They went with a big group of friends as well [as] her mom and brother,” and noted that the pop star, 30, and the Tony nominee, 31, are “really happy and really good for each other.
Despite the backlash towards their relationship, the source continued to reveal, “All of her friends love him.” Their relationship has reportedly remained strong in the face of negative media coverage.
A friend of the couple stressed to the outlet, “While this entire situation has been blown out of proportion, it’s much different than what has been portrayed in public.” The source added, “They are just trying to navigate their new relationship in private.”
The pair’s romance reportedly began after Grande separated from her husband Dalton Gomez in January and Slater separated from his wife Lilly Jay. But before dating, Grande and Slater initially met on set of the upcoming Wicked film adaptation and were only friends while they were with their respective partners.
While it isn’t known when exactly they started seeing each other after separating from their spouses, they were publicly confirmed to be dating by People in July. “People have tried to question the timeline,” a close family friend told the outlet. “The truth is, Ariana and Ethan didn’t begin seeing each other until after both parties were separated, respectfully.”
Amid the backlash and their respective divorces, the new couple “are doing their best to balance the fact that they are in the public eye with the desire to be respectful to all parties involved.”
In July, news of their relationship spread like wildfire just days after it was announced that Grande and Gomez had separated back in January. “Ariana and Dalton separated in January,” a source revealed to People. “She and Ethan recently began dating.”
That same month, Slater reportedly filed for divorce from his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a one-year-old son. Slater filed for divorce on July 26, 2023, while Grande filed on Sept. 18, 2023 and Gomez gave his response within the same day. According to sources, the distance was what led the pair to end their marriage.
“She was happy in Los Angeles for a couple of years. She wanted to make a life there with Dalton,” a source from People explained. “He is super focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles. It’s definitely been an issue for them. Dalton’s career is demanding and he can’t leave Los Angeles often. So when [Grande] started filming Wicked in England, they were in for a long-distance marriage.”
