Ethan Slater, the Broadway actor dating Ariana Grande, offered rare public remarks about the singer on the heels of a ticket-resale controversy and amid ongoing fan speculation about the couple's relationship.
Speaking at the West Hollywood premiere of Gen V season two on Wednesday, Slater described Grande's supporters as "unbelievable and incredible and ferocious in their support of her," and said he has been "sort of following along" with the coverage of her upcoming 2026 Eternal Sunshine tour. "I really hope that there are other opportunities to see her perform," he added.
Slater's comments came as fans and artists expressed frustration over tickets that sold out within minutes and were later relisted on third-party sites at sharply inflated prices. Grande, who announced the tour last month — her first since 2019's Sweetener World Tour — added nine dates after overwhelming demand, but many ticketing options through primary sellers were exhausted and resale listings showed prices of more than 10 times face value in some cases.
Grande publicly addressed the situation on her Instagram Story, saying she was "incredibly bothered" and was "fighting for a solution." The singer opted out of dynamic pricing for her shows, setting advance prices from $79 for the highest-available seats to $799 for standard tickets, excluding VIP packages. Despite that, fans have said they were forced to turn to secondary marketplaces when primary tickets became unavailable.
At the Gen V premiere Slater attended without Grande, who was absent from much of the VMAs night where she was nominated for seven awards and won three. His appearance alone at the event intensified online speculation among some fans that the pair's relationship could be strained. The couple met on the set of the movie adaptation of Wicked about two years ago and first confirmed their relationship publicly in July 2023, after both had separated from their previous partners.
Slater, 33, is known to television audiences as Thomas Godolkin in the Amazon Prime Video series Gen V, whose second season premiered on September 17. Grande, 32, stars as Glinda alongside Slater's character Boq in the forthcoming sequel Wicked: For Good, which is scheduled to open in theaters on November 21.
Representatives for Grande and Slater did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The pair's comments and activity on the publicity circuit come as both prepare for high-profile releases and as the music industry continues to confront ticketing and resale challenges that have affected multiple major tours in recent years.