Through the years, Ariana Grande has had a series of high-profile relationships. Some have been well-received and others, well, not so much. The pop star’s romance with Ethan Slater, for example, has been widely criticized—and Ariana has clapped back at nay-sayers in her new song, “Yes, And?”
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From Big Sean, to Mac Miller, to Pete Davidson and more, Ariana has dated several famous men. She was also married to real estate broker Dalton Gomez from May 2021 to October 2023. But before officially calling it quits with Dalton, Ariana became entangled with a married man: her fellow Wicked live-action film costar.
Let’s take a closer look at the controversy and Ariana’s answer to the criticism of her and Ethan’s relationship.
Ariana filed for divorce from Dalton in September 2023—but they had been separated since February.
News broke in July 2023 that the pop star and her husband had split after two years of marriage. Ariana filed for divorce in September, and she and Dalton settled mere weeks later, with the “Thank U, Next” singer agreeing to pay $1,250,000, People reported. Dalton also received half of the proceeds of the sale of their Los Angeles home and legal fees. The date of separation was listed as February 20, 2023.
News of Ariana’s relationship with Ethan broke in July.
Page Six confirmed Ariana, 30, and Ethan, 31, as a couple on July 20—just days after the news of Ariana’s split with Dalton. On July 26, Ethan filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay. And by the time the divorce was settled, Ariana and Ethan were reportedly living together in New York.
Ariana’s new song ‘Yes, And?’ seemingly addresses the backlash against her relationship with Ethan.
On January 12, 2024, Ariana dropped a new single called “Yes, And?”—and the lyrics seemed to hint at her and Ethan’s romance. “Your business is yours, and mine is mine,” she sings in the track, per Billboard. “Why do you care so much whose [blank] I ride?” Many are assuming the word that was skipped over is a four-lettered one beginning with “D.”
Folks have brutally reacted to ‘Yes, And?’ on social media.
Let's just say, some people weren't entertained by Ariana's reference to her relationship with Ethan.
“I really didn’t like getting that visual of ariana grande riding ethan slaters d— but okay,” one person commented.
Another X user wrote, “Ariana Grande casually dropping ‘yes, and?’ and addressing the Ethan Slater situation like it's no big deal he is Spongebob,” referencing his stint as the titular character in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.
Yet another person slammed Ethan for leaving his wife and their son, who was born in 2022. “Ethan slater's abandoned baby vibing to ariana grande's new song ‘yes, and?’” they wrote alongside a GIF of a baby dancing from the film Boss Baby.
Ethan’s wife was reportedly ‘completely blindsided’ by his and Ariana’s romance.
On July 21, a source told Page Six that Lilly was reportedly “completely blindsided” by his infidelity. Lilly told the publication that same month that Ariana was “not a girl’s girl.” She added, “My family is just collateral damage.”
Ethan and Ariana are reportedly ‘very happy.’
Despite the backlash, Ariana and Ethan seem to be serious about their relationship. "They really fell in love with each other and are very serious about one another and where this is going," a source told The Messenger in January 2024. "They are very happy."
