Ethan Slater is not planning to reconcile with his ex-wife, Lilly Jay, following his breakup with singer Ariana Grande. Sources close to Jay told TMZ that she is "absolutely not" getting back together with the actor, with whom she shares a 3-year-old son, Ezra.
Insiders also stated that Slater, 34, is not attempting to win back his former high school sweetheart, and their current relationship is solely focused on co-parenting.
Slater and Jay were married for nearly four years before he filed for divorce in 2023. This filing occurred a week after news broke that Slater was dating Grande, 33, subsequent to her split from husband Dalton Gomez.
At the time of the initial breakup, Jay publicly expressed her feelings about Grande to Page Six, referring to her family as "just collateral damage." However, a source close to the situation countered, insisting that Grande and Slater, who met on the set of "Wicked," "didn’t do anything wrong." This insider explained that Slater and Jay had been separated for two months before Slater began a relationship with Grande, suggesting Jay was "rightfully upset because her marriage fell apart, but Ariana and Ethan didn’t do anything wrong."
In December 2024, Jay wrote an essay for The Cut detailing her experience, admitting she "never thought" she would get divorced, especially so soon after giving birth to her first child and "in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity."
Despite the personal turmoil, Jay shared that her co-parenting relationship with Slater has remained stable. "While our partnership has changed, our parenthood has not," she stated. "Both of us fiercely love our son 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided."
Slater and Grande reportedly dated privately for three years before their split was confirmed in June. A source told Page Six that the breakup was a mutual decision, stating, "Ariana and Ethan broke up several months ago, but they’ve remained friends since then and have nothing but respect and admiration for one another. This wasn’t a decision they took lightly but realized they were better off friends than in a committed relationship."
Grande has since reportedly reconciled with her ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, whom she dated between 2015 and 2016. Grande's team announced on Sunday that the singer will be taking a break from the public eye following her "Eternal Sunshine" tour, citing concerns over her weight and "endless, ongoing public scrutiny."