Ethan Slater’s ex-wife, Lilly Jay, writes about navigating divorce ‘in the shadow’ of his relationship with Ariana Grande. How we got here.

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have danced their way through life amid mega-success Evilwith part 2 on the way.

The co-stars have praised each other and shared some near-PDA moments during the film’s press tour. They have otherwise kept their romance mostly low-key following the end of their respective marriages.

Now causing a small ripple in their bliss is Slater’s ex-wife Lilly Jay’s essay for the cut about navigating her divorce “in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity.”

It was reported in July 2023 that Grande was dating Slater, who had recently split from Jay less than a year after they welcomed their first child.

“In the countless hours I spend rocking my son to sleep, pushing his stroller, marveling at his sweaty little hands gripping a crayon, I am busily working on my private project of accepting the sudden public demise of my marriage,” Jay wrote. “This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide. Slowly but surely, I’ve come to believe that in the absence of the life I planned with my high school sweetheart, a life awaits with sweetness on me and my child.”

In the play – titled “How Does My Divorce Make You Feel?” – the clinical psychologist wrote that no couple “gets married thinking they’re going to get divorced, any more than we get on a plane expecting to crash. But I really never thought I’d get divorced. Especially not right after giving birth to my first child and especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity.”

She also referenced Evil.

“Days with my son are sunny. Days when I cannot escape the promotion of a film associated with the saddest days of my life are darker,” she wrote.

Jay also wrote about the “growing distance” between her and Slater while filming Evil with Grande in the UK.

“As a perinatal psychologist, I knew all the statistics – how vulnerable a marriage is in the postpartum period, how crucial social connection is to prevent depression and anxiety, how new parenthood affects an entire family – but I confidently moved to another country with my 2-month-old old baby and my husband to support his career,” she wrote. “Consumed by the magic and mundanity of new motherhood, I didn’t understand the growing distance between us.”

Jay said the point of her speaking out is that her high-profile split might help others, if nothing else.

“Maybe we can think of my messy, not-so-personal life that way: a dose of my own loss, rage, powerlessness, sadness to help me hold yours,” she wrote. “Knowing what you know now, I can say with both personal and professional authority, you are so much stronger than you realize. One of the things you loved most about your partner was actually your own goodness reflected back to you; it is yours to keep and carry on.”

She also wrote that she and Slater both “love our son fiercely 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided.”

Jay’s new comments about the divorce bring the timeline of Grande and Slater’s romance back into focus.

December 2022: Evil production began. Grande was cast as Glinda, while Slater was brought in to play Boq, who has a huge crush on Glinda. The actors were photographed together in a photo included on co-star Michelle Yeoh’s Instagram feed.

17 July 2023: Grande split from Dalton Gomez after two years of marriage, according to reports. An insider said they had “been separated since January.”

20 July 2023: Reports confirm that Grande began dating Slater. Things are “pretty new,” an insider said. There is unsubstantiated gossip that suggests they got together before they split from their partners.

26 July 2023: Slater filed for divorce from Jay, whom he married in 2018, just a month before their son’s first birthday.

27 July 2023: Jay told Page Six that Grande is “not a girl’s girl” and that she and her son are “certainly hurt” amid the split.

18 September 2023: Grande filed for divorce from Gomez. Their separation is listed as February 20, 2023.

25 September 2023: Grande and Slater were spotted together for the first time as a couple at Disney World.

November 12, 2023: The couple went to see Gutenberg! The Musical! and a photo of them together backstage was posted on Instagram.

November 16, 2023: Grande supported Slater at the opening of Broadway’s Spam lotterywhich he starred in. They are not posing together.

12 January 2024: Grande released “Yeah, and?” a stinging response to criticism of her relationship with Slater.

19 March 2024: Grande finalized her divorce from Gomez.

7 April 2024: Grande attended Slater’s final Spam lottery show.

10 April 2024: They were together in Las Vegas to promote Evil at CinemaCon.

8 June 2024: The couple had a date night at the Stanley Cup Final.

13 September 2024: Slater finalized her divorce from Jay.

30 September 2024: With promotion underway too EvilGrande said Vanity Fair that she found it “disappointing” that so many people believe “the worst version” about the origins of her relationship.

She defended Slater against rumors that he was abandoning Jay and their son, saying: “There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him. … No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner for to be there for the people he loves and cares about. There’s no one on this earth with a better heart, and that’s something no bullshit tabloid can rewrite in real life.”

30 October 2024: Slater opened up to GQ about the speculation surrounding his relationship with Grande.

“I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,” he said. “There were a lot of big changes in private life that really happened, so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s going on, comment on it and speculate, and then take things wrong with the people you love.”

3 November 2024: Grande posted her first photo by Slater for Instagram.

November 9, 2024: The couple had cute moments at the LA premiere of Evil. She told Entertainment Tonight: “He’s such an amazing person. I’m so glad people are getting to know him. My heart is very happy.”

14 November 2024: They had another sweet moment on the red carpet at the New York premiere of Evil.

November 22, 2024: Slater shared set of photos, including several with Grande.

19 December 2024: Jay wrote an essay for the Cut about his divorce from his high school sweetheart and his “new relationship with a celebrity.” She said she never expected to divorce, but they became estranged when they moved to England for Slater to shoot Evil next door Grande. Jay said that as she adjusts to her new normal, there are “days when I can’t escape the promotion of a movie that is associated with the saddest days.”