Ethan Slater has returned to New York City amid his romance with Ariana Grande and divorce from estranged wife Lilly Jay, multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE.
The Wicked actor, who a source previously told PEOPLE is “full-on dating” his Broadway movie co-star Grande, is back in New York after he filed for divorce from his longtime partner Jay earlier this week.
One source tells PEOPLE that Slater, 31, was seen walking around the city, while another adds that he was FaceTiming Grande, 30, while out and about.
Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Slater’s return to New York comes as Jay — who celebrated four years of marriage with Slater last fall — broke her silence about their split to Page Six this week.
“[Ariana’s] the story really. Not a girl’s girl,” she told the outlet. “My family is just collateral damage.”
Jay — who shares an infant child with Slater — added that she was focused on being “a good mom” to her and Slater’s child, and referenced Grande’s own breakup from husband Dalton Gomez, noting: “The story is her and Dalton.”
Ariana Grande’s New Boyfriend Ethan Slater Is Separated from Wife After Welcoming Baby Last Year: Source
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Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty, Stephen Lovekin/Variety/Penske/Getty
The SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical alum married Jay in November 2018, six years after they began dating. A source told PEOPLE last week, amid reports of a romance with Grande, that he and Jay separated. TMZ then reported that the actor filed for divorce in New York on Wednesday.
While Slater’s Instagram is now private, fans spotted a post on Mother’s Day that was dedicated to his now-estranged spouse, which Grande “liked” on the platform. “Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world. – from me and this little guy,” he wrote alongside a photo of their son.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Grande separated from her own husband Gomez, 27, earlier this year, and that the two “have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship” since their split.
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As for Grande’s relationship with Slater, an insider told PEOPLE that their connection was apparent on the set of Wicked, which was being filmed in London before the ongoing Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Grande is set to play Glinda in Universal’s film adaptation of the Broadway musical, while Slater will play Boq, the love interest of Elphaba’s sister Nessarose.
“It was obvious on the set from early on … they were very sweet to each other and often seen laughing together,” the source said, before adding: “Everyone just thought they were both happily married though and didn’t expect them to end up dating.”
A second source told PEOPLE the two did not get together romantically until both were each separated from their spouses, while another told PEOPLE that the situation has been hard for Jay.
“They were together for so long; they met when they were in high school. They were inseparable. It’s devastating for Lilly,” the source said.
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Source: HIS Education