Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater: Wicked co-stars split after three years

BBC News · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Jun 09, 2026 · 340 words · By Paul Glynn

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What to know about Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater: Wicked co-stars split after three years

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater split after three years Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have ended their relationship after nearly three years together.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater split after three years Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have ended their relationship after nearly three years together.

Why it matters

The couple separated "quietly" and in an "amicable" manner several months ago, a source told US magazine People.

Common ground

"They gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways," the source told the publication.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater: Wicked co-stars split after three years?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that After going Instagram official in real life in 2024, the couple appeared together at promotional events for both Wicked and its sequel, Wicked: For Good?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0ve7952jqo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

schedule Pending 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified Verified 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

cancel Disputed 1

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Claim 1: “After going Instagram official in real life in 2024, the couple appeared together at promotional events for both Wicked and its sequel, Wicked: For Good.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results and news reports confirm they went public in 2024 and appeared at promotional events for the film and its sequel.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ariana Grande-Butera ( AR-ee-AH-nə GRAHN-day byuu-TAIR-ə; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle reg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariana_Grande

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "The Boy Is Mine" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande from her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine (2024). It was released through Republic Records on June 7, 2024, as the album’s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Is_Mine_(Ariana_Grande…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wicked (titled on-screen as Wicked: Part I), is a 2024 American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It adapts the first act of the 2003 stage musica…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_(2024_film)

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “Both stars finalised divorces from their former partners during their time together.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the relationship is confirmed, the specific detail about both finalizing divorces during the relationship is not explicitly corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence, though it is implied by the timeline of their relationship.

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web search NEUTRAL — ariana grande and ethan slater Ariana Reflects on Ethan’s ‘Wicked’ Role.
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a62043207/ariana-gr…

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web search NEUTRAL — Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's Full Relationship Timeline.
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a46463762/ari…

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web search NEUTRAL — Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater split after nearly three years together. The breakup was amicable and happened months ago. They met while filming Wicked and went public in 2024.
https://thepinktimes.com/ariana-grandes-heartbreak-hits-hard…

help

Claim 3: “The live shows come three years after the Eternal Sunshine album was released”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The claim states the tour comes three years after the album release. However, evidence shows the album 'Eternal Sunshine' was released in 2024 and the tour began in 2026 (per the dates in the search results), which is a gap of approximately two years, not three. More importantly, the provided evidence for this specific claim is irrelevant (referring to the movie 'Eternals' and a girl group), but the actual album date (2024) contradicts a three-year gap for a 2026 tour.

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web search NEUTRAL — In the film, the Eternals are immortal beings who emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their ancient counterparts, the Deviants.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternals_(film)

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web search NEUTRAL — Eternal are a British R&B girl group formed in 1992, with the line-up originally consisting of sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, with Kéllé Bryan and the latter's friend and classmate Louise Nurding…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_(group)

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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · The meaning of ETERNAL is having infinite duration : everlasting. How to use eternal in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eternal

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Claim 4: “Last weekend, Grande began her long-awaited Eternal Sunshine tour - her first since 2019.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Yahoo News UK and others) confirm the Eternal Sunshine tour began on June 6 in Oakland and is her first tour since 2019.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Tour Marks Her First Major Run Since 2019. Grande last toured before this with the Sweetener World Tour in 2019. Ticketmaster’s tour information says The Eternal Sunshine Tour began June 6 in Oakl…
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ariana-grande-wipes-away-tears-163…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ariana Grande has announced The Eternal Sunshine tour - her first tour since the Sweetener tour in 2019! There are so many songs I need to see her perform. I’m so intrigued to see how this will be exe…
https://www.tiktok.com/@theclassicmanny/video/75437516973282…

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web search NEUTRAL — Grande kicked off her Eternal Sunshine tour at Oakland Arena in California on June 6, marking her first tour since 2019. During the show, she became emotional as she addressed the crowd and thanked fa…
https://www.boredpanda.com/ariana-grande-kicks-off-her-tour-…

verified

Claim 5: “The singer and actress, 32, first met Slater, 34, in 2023 while they were shooting the Wizard of Oz spin-off in the UK.”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia confirms Ariana Grande's birth date (June 26, 1993) and Ethan Slater's birth date (June 2, 1992), making them 32 and 34 respectively in 2025/2026. Web search results confirm they met during the filming of Wicked in the UK in 2023.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ethan Samuel Slater (born June 2, 1992) is an American actor and singer. He played the character of SpongeBob SquarePants in the 2016 musical of the same name, for which he won a Drama Desk Award and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Slater

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Fellow actor and singer Slater was nominated, along with the entire Wicked ensemble, for outstanding performance by a cast in the same movie at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 7: “Grande starred as Glinda the good witch in the two films, while Slater portrayed Boq Woodsman, who is later turned into the Tin Man.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and official film descriptions confirm Ariana Grande plays Glinda and Ethan Slater plays Boq in the Wicked films.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wicked: For Good (also known as Wicked: Part Two) is a 2025 musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The sequel to Wicked (2024), it adapts the second a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked:_For_Good

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 8: “She received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the first Wicked movie.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater have ended their relationship after nearly three years together.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (BBC, PEOPLE via web search, and other news outlets) report that Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater ended their relationship after nearly three years.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wicked: One Wonderful Night is a 2025 American television special promoting Universal Pictures' two-part film adaptation of the stage musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. Led by Cynt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked:_One_Wonderful_Night

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “The pop star, also known for hits including Twilight Zone and Side To Side”

DISPUTED

Ariana Grande has a hit song titled 'Side To Side', but there is no evidence of a song titled 'Twilight Zone' in her discography; this appears to be a factual error in the claim.

schedule

Claim 11: “He was also nominated for a Tony Award for his Broadway debut as SpongeBob SquarePants.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 12: “ahead of Grande's forthcoming album Petal, which drops next month and has been preceded by a new single, Hate That I Made You Love Me.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While no general web results were found, Ariana Grande's official Instagram bio explicitly mentions 'petal 7.31', supporting the existence of a project named 'Petal'. However, the single 'Hate That I Made You Love Me' was not found in the evidence.

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Claim 13: “The performing pair met while starring together in the modern film adaptation of the stage musical Wicked.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including syracuse.com and cleveland.com, confirm the pair met while filming the movie adaptation of Wicked.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2025 film Wicked: For Good by Jon M. Chu, which is based on the second act of the stage musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie H…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked:_For_Good_–_The_Soundtr…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.