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12 Jan 2026 21:04
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Ethan Slater has settled his divorce from Lilly Jay

    The Broadway actor - who is now dating Ariana Grande - split from his high school sweetheart in summer 2023 amid claims he had grown close to his 'Wicked' co-star, and the pair have now agreed the terms of their split and had their divorce signed off by a judge, TMZ reports.


    It is unclear how the former couple have agreed to split their assets or custody of their two-year-old son.

    The 32-year-old actor and Ariana went public with their romance last October, three months after they split.

    After Ethan filed for divorce last July, Lilly hit out at the 'Thank U, Next' hitmaker - whose marriage to Dalton Gomez also ended in 2023 - and said her family had been "collateral damage".

    She told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column: "[Ariana's] the story really. Not a girl's girl.

    "My family is just collateral damage.

    "The story is her and Dalton [Gomez, Ariana's estranged husband]."

    Earlier this year, Ariana voiced her frustration over the speculation surrounding her relationship.

    Addressing the conversation around her personal life, she told 'The Zach Sang Show': "I feel like we don't need to go into any specifics.

    "But of course, there's an insatiable frustration, inexplicable, hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love, and you and anything."

    Ariana previously described 2023 as one of the "most challenging" years of her life.

    She wrote on Instagram: "one of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life. there were so many beautiful and yet polarized feelings.

    "i've never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. i've never felt more fulfilled by or present in my work, being able to cherish every moment. i gave everything i could have possibly given of my heart and of myself to the projects i was fortunate enough to be a part of and learned so much from every brilliant, beautiful, soul that i had the privilege of creating art with and crossing paths with this year.

    "i have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don't know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life. i have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other. (sic)"

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Alan Cumming accidentally injured Pedro Pascal during the making of Avengers: Doomsday 20:53

    Entertainment:
    Mark Hamill's biggest regret is missing the chance to work with Harrison Ford in the Star Wars sequel trilogy 20:23

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    Sarah Michelle Gellar "sometimes" struggles with feeling confident in herself 19:53

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    LaKeith Stanfield has been appointed an ambassador for Dior 19:23

    Accident and Emergency:
    A person is in a critical condition after a water-related incident at a Bay of Plenty property 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Ethan Slater "tries not to tell stories" about his son 18:53

    Business:
    US-based manufacturing firm's presented Auckland tech firm Rakon a 356 million dollar takeover bid 18:37

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    Entertainment:
    Finneas O'Connell and his fiancee are ready to "start officially wedding planning" 18:23


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