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24 Feb 2026 3:28
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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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     23 Feb: Lil Jon's son has been laid to rest
     23 Feb: Eric Dane has died aged 53
     23 Feb: Ashton Kutcher and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson have led tributes to the late Eric Dane
     23 Feb: Brooke Candy has confirmed she has divorced Kyle England
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     Today's News

    Athletics:
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    Entertainment:
    Conner Smith will not face charges is relation to a fatal car accident 21:51

    Accident and Emergency:
    One person has died following a hit-and-run in Southland's Te Anau today 21:27

    Entertainment:
    Lando Norris has confirmed he has split from Portuguese model and actress Margarida Corceiro 21:21

    Motoring:
    Killing of 'El Mencho', Mexico's biggest drug lord, sparks chaos among cartel members 21:07

    Entertainment:
    Sir Paul McCartney has opened up about the deeply personal experience of seeing his "beautiful" late wife Linda McCartney on screen again in his new Prime Video documentary Man On The Run 20:51

    Entertainment:
    Lil Jon's son has been laid to rest 20:21

    Entertainment:
    Eric Dane has died aged 53 19:51

    Entertainment:
    Ashton Kutcher and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson have led tributes to the late Eric Dane 19:21

    Politics:
    ACT says more change is needed - after controversy over a Defence Force cultural policy 18:57


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