What Really Happened With Ariana Grande and the SpongeBob Guy

So, it’s 2026. The glitter from the Wicked: For Good press tour has finally settled, and we’re all still kinda processing the most chaotic celebrity crossover of the decade. I'm talking about the time the world collectively lost its mind because Ariana Grande boyfriend spongebob became a real-life headline.

Except he’s not actually a sponge. He’s Ethan Slater.

If you’ve been living under a rock (or maybe just avoiding the deep pits of Stan Twitter), the "SpongeBob" nickname comes from Ethan’s Tony-nominated run as the titular yellow sponge on Broadway. It’s a role that required incredible physical comedy and a very specific kind of earnestness. But when the news broke in July 2023 that he and Ariana were a thing, that wholesome stage image got flipped upside down.

People were confused. They were mad. They were making memes about Pineapples under the sea being replaced by mansions in Montecito.

The Set Where Everything Changed

The two met on the set of Wicked in London. Ariana was playing Glinda, the Good Witch. Ethan was cast as Boq, the munchkin who is—ironically enough—hopelessly in love with Glinda. Life imitating art? Sorta.

At the time, both were married. Ariana was with real estate agent Dalton Gomez, and Ethan was with his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay. They’d just had a baby. When the reports hit that Ariana and Ethan were dating just days after her split from Dalton became public, the internet didn't just whisper; it screamed.

Lilly Jay famously told Page Six that Ariana was "not a girl's girl" and that her family was "collateral damage." That’s a heavy quote to have attached to your name. It turned a standard celebrity romance into a full-blown PR crisis.

Why the Ariana Grande Boyfriend SpongeBob Narrative Stuck

The nickname wasn't just about his career. It was a weapon used by critics to highlight the perceived "weirdness" of the pairing. Fans of Mac Miller or even Pete Davidson struggled to reconcile Ariana’s "dangerous woman" persona with a guy known for wearing high-waisted yellow shorts and singing about "Best Day Ever."

But behind the memes, the two were actually getting serious.

By late 2023, they were living together in New York. They were spotted at Disney World (the first real public confirmation) and eventually, they stopped hiding. Ariana’s album Eternal Sunshine, released in 2024, seemed to address the messiness head-on. Songs like "yes, and?" were basically a middle finger to everyone obsessed with her dating life.

She wasn't asking for permission. She was just living.

Wait, Are They Still Together?

Fast forward to right now, January 2026. The big question at the Golden Globes last week was: "Where’s Ethan?"

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Ariana walked the red carpet with her best friend Doug Middlebrook. Naturally, the "split" rumors started flying immediately. People love a breakup story, especially when the beginning was so scandalous. But insiders are saying it's the opposite. Apparently, they're in a "solid place" and just want the focus to be on their work rather than the tabloid circus.

Slater was literally just seen backstage at her Saturday Night Live hosting gig in December. They aren't broken up; they’re just private.

They've shifted from the "sloppy" stage—as some UK tabloids called their early filming days—to what friends describe as an "old married couple" vibe. They play board games. They binge-watch shows. They do the normal stuff that doesn't make for a "viral" headline but actually keeps a relationship alive.

The Reality of the "Homewrecker" Label

It’s easy to look at a timeline and see a villain. The internet did that to Ariana. But she addressed it in Vanity Fair, calling the tabloid depiction of Ethan "the least accurate depiction of a human being."

She basically said the world saw a 2D version of a very 3D, complicated situation.

1. Relationships end in private long before they end in public.
2. The Wicked cast was isolated in London for two years due to filming and strikes.
3. Trauma bonding and intense work environments change people.

Slater himself eventually spoke out in GQ, mentioning how hard it was to see people "getting things wrong about the people you love." It’s a classic "us against the world" narrative. Whether you believe the official timeline (that they were both separated before they started) or the "sloppy" set rumors, the result is the same: they survived the storm.

What We Can Learn From the Drama

Honestly, the whole Ariana Grande boyfriend spongebob saga is a masterclass in how public perception can be completely disconnected from reality.

If you're following this for more than just the gossip, there are a few takeaways. First, the "PR pivot" is real. They went from being the most hated couple on the internet to being "adorable" co-stars by the time the movie actually came out. It took almost two years of silence and strategic appearances to get there.

Second, don't believe every "unnamed source" that says a couple has split just because they didn't take a photo together at an awards show. In 2026, privacy is the new "power couple" move.

If you want to keep up with the actual facts, watch for Ethan’s upcoming Off-Broadway projects or Ariana’s Eternal Sunshine tour dates. That’s where they’ll likely show up for each other. Stop looking for the drama on the red carpet—look for the blurry Instagram stories from their friends. That’s where the real story usually hides.

Moving forward, keep a close eye on the 2026 awards circuit. Even if they don't pose together, the "supportive partner" sightings in the wings tell a much more interesting story than a staged photo ever could.