Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's romance has been a controversial one so far to say the least, but the Wicked promo tour is very much starting to change that.
The lovebirds left fans swooning after Grande was pictured adorably adjusting her boyfriend's bow tie on the red carpet at the Wicked premiere on Nov. 9 in Los Angeles.
Another sweet moment between the two happened in Australia, when Slater was pictured holding up Grande's impressive train at the Sydney premiere.
Asked about this on Saturday, Grande gushed to Entertainment Tonight, "He's always that adorable. And he's so amazing in this film. He's such an amazing person. I'm so happy people are getting to know him. My heart is very happy."
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But don't you worry, the feeling is more than mutual. Asked about the famous train moment and what sharing the Wicked experience together has been like, Slater said, "I'm so proud of Ariana. She's incredible in this movie. She and Cynthia are mind-blowing in this movie, and I think I'm not alone in the cast to be feeling just kind of privileged to be able to witness that chemistry on set."
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Speaking to GQ Hype about his superstar girlfriend for a recent cover story, Slater said, "Of course Ari’s Ari, and she’s amazing. She’s a comedian who’s also got this crazy voice that can do anything." He added, "My unbiased opinion is that she’s one of the best comedians that’s been in a movie in a long time. She’s a genius." So I could be wrong, but I think he loves her?
The actor, who plays Boq in Wicked, also won himself some brownie points while in Australia. One fan filmed themself meeting Slater, and passing on a friendship bracelet to the actor to give to Grande, and his graciousness throughout that interaction has been widely noted.
Still, many Ariana Grande fans and other celeb news fiends remain critical of the relationship, because of the circumstances under which it started around July 2023. The two met on the set of Wicked, while they were both still married to other people.
The timeline from there is a little fuzzy: While Grande's relationship with ex-husband Dalton Gomez reportedly ended circa January 2023, Slater allegedly informed his wife Lilly Jay that he was leaving her just days before news of his romance with Grande broke. Slater and Jay were high school sweethearts and had welcomed their first child together just months before.
