Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater had a wickedly good time getting to know each other.
Four months prior to their romance news, the "7 rings" singer and the Broadway star were photographed on a group outing by their Wicked co-star Michelle Yeoh.
In the snapshot, posted to Michelle's Instagram in March, Ariana and Ethan are seen sitting side-by-side in a restaurant booth while surrounded by their friends, including Cynthia Erivo. The duo both kept their attire minimal and cozy, with Ariana donning a black blouse and Ethan sporting a knit sweater.
At the time, Ariana commented on Michelle's Instagram carousel, "i love you!!!!!!"
Ariana and Ethan would continue developing their bond, as a source close to the situation told E! News on July 20 that the pair recently started dating following their splits from their respective spouses. The insider said that Ethan—a 2018 Tony Award nominee for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical—had separated from his wife of four years, Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a baby boy.
Meanwhile, Ariana broke up with husband Dalton Gomez after two years of marriage and is heading toward divorce, E! News confirmed on July 17. Despite the separation, Ariana and the real estate broker "remain friends," according to a source close to the situation.
The 30-year-old has since deleted images of her May 2021 wedding to Dalton, including pictures of her custom Vera Wang gown. One photo that still remains on the 'gram? Her tribute to Wicked, which is expected to hit theaters November 2024.
"To feel so much love around me, to begin each day before the sun is up and to end after it sets," Ariana wrote on Instagram in April, "to hold my brilliant twin flame / sister Cynthia's beautiful, green hands every day… to work in the safest, most beautiful and loving, biggest-yet-most-intimate/tiny-feeling spaces…to be transforming and healing parts of me that i never knew needed it. or maybe did."
She added, "words don't suffice but i suppose i just wanted to (attempt to) share a little."
(E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)