News | Entertainment
23 Feb 2026 5:46
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   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

     Other Entertainment News
     22 Feb: James Van Der Beek was a "great leader on set", according to Algee Smith
     22 Feb: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been "released under investigation"
     22 Feb: Khloe Kardashian would "want to be married" before having any more kids
     22 Feb: Timothee Chalamet thinks AI is set to change the movie business
     22 Feb: Hailey Bieber has found fame to be "mentally exhausting"
     22 Feb: Andrew Windsor has been slammed as "never a prince" by Virginia Giuffre's family
     22 Feb: Paddington Bear is set to bring a marmalade-tinted flourish to this weekend's EE BAFTA Film Awards after being confirmed as a presenter at the ceremony
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The Crusaders have been demolished by the Brumbies 50-24 in Christchurch to close out the second week of Super Rugby More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Fifteen years on from the devastating Christchurch earthquake, belief light may finally be at the end of the tunnel More...



     Today's News

    Soccer:
    Former Phoenix football manager Ufuk Talay has shown support for the departed Giancarlo Italiano after he stepped down following the 5-nil loss to Auckland FC 5:07

    Auckland:
    Citybound lanes on Auckland's North-Western motorway have now reopened following a two-vehicle crash 22:07

    Entertainment:
    James Van Der Beek was a "great leader on set", according to Algee Smith 21:47

    Motoring:
    There are serious injuries after a crash between a car and cyclist in Christchurch's Sumner 21:17

    Entertainment:
    Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been "released under investigation" 21:17

    Entertainment:
    Khloe Kardashian would "want to be married" before having any more kids 20:47

    Entertainment:
    Timothee Chalamet thinks AI is set to change the movie business 20:17

    Entertainment:
    Hailey Bieber has found fame to be "mentally exhausting" 19:47

    International:
    Why has Donald Trump issued Keir Starmer a warning about the Chagos Islands? 19:37

    Entertainment:
    Andrew Windsor has been slammed as "never a prince" by Virginia Giuffre's family 19:17


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd