Ariana Grande Praises Boyfriend Ethan Slater, Calls Him 'Amazing' in Rare Comment

Ariana Grande made a rare comment about boyfriend Ethan Slater and couldn’t help but gush over how “amazing” he is.

The Grammy-winning artist, 31, who skipped this year’s awards ceremony despite three nominations, appeared on Sean Hayes’ “Smartless” podcast on Monday, February 3, and spoke briefly about her budding romance.

“He’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in your life. He did Good Night, Oscar with me in Chicago,” Sean, 54, told Ariana about his close pal Ethan, 32. “And then he was on Wicked and now you guys are dating, and I love that because you guys make a perfect couple.”

The “7 Rings” vocalist thanked Sean for speaking highly of Ethan, adding, “Thank you. He’s amazing and he loves you.”

Although Ariana has only said a few sweet words about Ethan publicly, Life & Style previously reported that she is “madly in love” with the Broadway star and is thinking of walking down the aisle with him “when the time is right.”

“She’s traditional, so unless something throws a wrench in things, everyone is expecting her to marry him next year so they can get to work on having kids,” an insider exclusively told Life & Style in December 2024.

Ariana and Ethan met while filming Wicked in 2022. Both were married to their respective now-former spouses at the time, Dalton Gomez and Lilly Jay. Despite the fact, Ariana and Ethan sparked dating rumors in spring 2023. At the time, fans believed that the former Victorious star was still going strong with the real estate agent, 29, – but they separated that February, as stated in Ariana’s September 2023 divorce filing.

After finalizing their divorce in March 2024, Dalton moved on with Maika Monroe.

Ethan, for his part, filed for divorce from Lilly, 30, on July 26, 2023, after more than four years of marriage and 10 years together. The following day, Lilly blasted Ariana to Page Six, claiming that the A-lister “is not a girl’s girl.”

Ethan and Lilly, who finalized their divorce in September 2023, share a 2-year-old son.

Ariana and the SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! actor faced heat from fans about their questionable relationship timeline, but that didn’t stop them from diving deep into their romance.

In January 2024, a second source exclusively told Life & Style that the pair moved in together in New York City. Toward the end of that year, a second source dished that “Ethan is itching to propose to Ariana.”

“He’s already looking at rings, so it’s only a matter of time before he pops the question,” the third insider exclusively told Life & Style in September 2024.

Source No. 3 later added, “Some of her friends, and especially her family, think she and Ethan should hold off, take things slow. But Ari’s totally in love with him and would absolutely say yes if Ethan got down on one knee.”

After Wicked premiered in November 2024, Ethan and Ariana became more comfortable publicly showcasing their love. Not only did they go to screenings together, but they also shared photos of each other on their respective Instagram accounts for a subtle hard launch of their relationship.

“Ethan and Ariana are out of hiding and happier than ever,” a fourth source exclusively told Life & Style at the time. “They’re so excited for the film to come out and for chatter around how they got together to be behind them.”