Ethan Slater’s ‘devastated’ wife feels he ‘abandoned’ family for Ariana Grande romance: report
The estranged wife of Ariana Grande’s new beau feels “betrayed and heartbroken” over her ex’s romance with the pop star.
Lilly Jay, who shares an 11-month-old son with Ethan Slater, is “devastated her family’s been torn apart” and feels the Broadway star “abandoned his family,” a source told TMZ Wednesday.
According to the insider, Jay’s heart is most broken over the fact that her young son “won’t have both his mom and dad around constantly.”
Jay and Slater reportedly “aren’t on good terms now” because she feels he has “completely turned his back on his family” to be with the musician.
Sources tell Page Six exclusively, however, that the insider’s claims that Slater abandoned his family are “completely untrue.”
Separate sources told Page Six last week that Jay was completely “blindsided” by Slater’s relationship with Grande.
“It’s horrible. They were high school sweethearts. They have a baby! She’s a wreck,” a source said Friday.
Page Six previously confirmed that Slater, 31, and Grande, 30 — who met on the set of the “Wicked” movie — began dating “several months ago.”
However, Slater had shown no public signs of trouble in his marriage as recently as two months ago.
In May, the star of Broadway’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” wished Jay a “Happy first Mother’s Day” and called her the “most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world.”
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In November 2022, he also proudly celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.
“My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet,” he captioned a carousel of photos with Jay from his now-private Instagram profile.
The former couple were high school sweethearts who started dating in 2012 and tied the knot in 2018. It is unclear when exactly they split.
While Jay is seemingly struggling with the fact that Slater is dating someone new so soon, a separate source told TMZ Wednesday that it’s “understandable that emotions are high.”
“It’s hard seeing your ex move on, especially in such a public way, and her friends are trying to protect her,” a source said. “But Ari and Ethan are just trying to lay low and be respectful of their exes as they pursue this new relationship.”
In the meantime, the “Thank U, Next” singer is going through a separation herself.
Grande and her estranged husband, Dalton Gomez, are divorcing after two years of marriage.
“They came to the decision together,” an insider previously told Page Six. “They were having problems before January, but they want to remain best friends.”
Reps for Grande and Slater did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.