Ethan didn’t join Ariana at Sunday’s Golden Globes, but friends say the couple prefer to spend time together away from the spotlight
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater are “in a solid place” despite not attending Sunday’s Golden Globes together.
Ariana walked the red carpet with her good friend Doug Middlebrook ahead of the glitzy ceremony following rumours she and Ethan – who have dating since July 2023 – had split. In 2025, it was rumoured the pair had been ‘on and off for most of this year.’
But friends say the couple are stronger than ever, explaining that Ariana had to prioritise the promotion of their movie, Wicked: For Good, over recent months, adding that they prefer to spend time together away from the spotlight.
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The insider told the Daily Mail: “Ariana put Ethan on the back burner while she was promoting the movie. But they’re in a solid place now.
“They’re like an old married couple at home. They’d rather hang out together and do simple things like play board games or binge watch shows rather than go out to fancy places.”
When Wicked: For Good hit theatres in November, Ariana and her leading co-star Cynthia Erivo embarked on a weeks-long promotional tour across the globe. Ethan, who plays Boq in the film, only appeared at the New York and London premieres.
When quizzed about what it was like ‘working with your girlfriend everyday’ on the Today show, he responded by vaguely talking about how ‘incredible’ the ‘entire cast’ was.
Fans also pointed out that he and Ariana avoided having any pictures taken together as a duo during the film’s promotional tour.
But the source says Ethan knew how important it was for Ariana and Cynthia to promote the movie together rather than his relationship with Ariana becoming the main talking point.
Added the insider: “Although he’s in the movie, he’s not a selling tool like Ariana and Cynthia. He’s a pro and understands the business. That’s why he was OK with it.”
In November, Ariana and Ethan were spotted putting on an affectionate display at the New York premiere of their movie.
The two stars, who have been dating since July 2023, put on a united front after facing rumours their relationship was in trouble. Before the glitzy premiere they hadn’t been seen together in months. Back in October, a source claimed to the Mail that the two had been ‘on and off for most of this year.’
When the couple’s romance first made headlines, Ariana had just split from her husband Dalton Gomez, 30, and Ethan was still married to his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay. Ariana was subsequently slammed as a ‘homewrecker’ as she was accused of having an affair with Ethan.
Lilly, who is a psychologist, poured fuel on the fire at the time when she claimed to have been blindsided’ by the relationship in a strongly-worded personal essay published by New York Magazine subset The Cut.
In the scathing article she wrote that she struggled to ‘escape’ while trying to ‘accept the sudden public downfall of my marriage.’
Source: Mirror
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