Broadway star Ethan Slater has changed his Instagram profile to private amid reports that he and his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande are romantically involved.
Grande is set to play Glinda in the film adaptation of the popular Broadway and West End show, while Slater will play Boq, the love interest of Elphaba’s sister Nessarose.
On 20 July, just days after it was revealed that Grande, 30, and her husband of nearly two years, Dalton Gomez, 28, had separated, People reported that the singer had begun dating Slater.
“Ariana and Dalton separated in January,” a source told the outlet. “She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife.”
Another source told Entertainment Tonight that the co-stars “have a lot in common” and “didn’t start dating until both were broken up with their significant others”.
Slater has been married to his wife, Lilly Jay, since 2018, with the actor revealing on Instagram in January 2023 that the couple had welcomed a son together.
According to People, Slater and Jay welcomed a son in August 2022. On Mother’s Day, the actor dedicated a post to Jay, in which he described her as the “most loving, caring and wonderful mom/person in the world”.
In another post, Slater described Jay as his “best friend” while reflecting on their 10-year relationship. Both of Slater’s Instagram posts were liked by Grande.
“My best friend. Four years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet,” Slater captioned the anniversary post. It is not clear when Slater and Jay separated.
Some followers claimed Slater’s decision to make his Instagram private amid the speculation “confirmed” the rumoured romance between him and Grande.
However, others have taken to social media to defend Slater’s decision to make his Instagram private, with many pointing out that the actor’s posts had been inundated with comments from Grande’s fans amid the dating reports.
“Ok new concept. Y’all ready? How about if people just leave them alone,” one person tweeted.
Another said: “I’ll never understand why some fans keep treating celebrities like they own their lives. Ariana is an adult woman, she has the right to date whoever she wants to.”
“I don’t blame him; I’ve already seen the nastiest comments,” someone else wrote.
As of now, neither Slater nor Grande has commented on the romance speculation.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Grande and Slater for comment.
