For the first time since their respective divorces, Ariana Grande and her apparent new love interest, Ethan Slater, were spotted together on a public outing.
On Friday, the Wicked costars were seen linking arms as they walked around Disneyland in California.
The rumored couple seemingly tried to go incognito, both wearing black hoodies and baseball caps. Despite their efforts, they were clocked by a number of fans who took photographs and videos of them as they attempted to keep a low profile.
According to TMZ, Ari and Ethan were joined by a group of friends, including her mom, Joan, and brother, Frankie.
The public outing marks the first time they’ve been seen together since numerous outlets confirmed they were dating in July. It also comes less than a week after Ari officially filed for divorce from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez.
Though their split was first reported back on Jul. 17, it wasn’t until last Monday that Ari and Dalton simultaneously filed for divorce from one another, both citing irreconcilable differences.
We still don’t know a whole lot about the downfall of Ariana and Dalton’s marriage, however their official date of separation was listed in the filing as Feb. 20, which sheds new light on the much-talked-about timeline of their split.
As I’m sure you know, the confirmation that Ariana and Ethan were dating — which came just days after her split from Dalton made headlines — sparked a lot of speculation about a potential affair, particularly in light of the fact that Ethan also recently separated from his partner, Lilly Jay.
Ariana and Ethan are believed to have first met about a year ago when rehearsals started for the Wicked movies. At this point, both of them were still with their respective spouses, and sources have claimed that the two couples spent time together as a group while shooting was underway in London.
Notably, sources close to Ariana and Ethan have denied speculation that they cheated on their partners amid reports that they engaged in a “sloppy” “affair” on set, claiming instead that their relationship didn’t start until they were both single.
And while we know for sure that Ariana and Dalton split in February, the timeline of Ethan and Lilly’s split is slightly less clear.
Lilly — who’s since been openly critical of Ari — apparently visited Ethan on the Wicked set in April with their infant son. The following month, Ethan gushed about her in a Mother’s Day Instagram post, but by Jul. 26, he had officially filed for divorce.
So, while it’s possible that Ethan and Lilly were putting up a united front amid private relationship troubles, it seems like Ariana and Dalton were almost certainly doing just that.
In May, Ariana publicly celebrated her and Dalton’s second wedding anniversary on Instagram by sharing a photograph of them kissing, captioned “i love him so,” in spite of the fact that they’d secretly separated three months prior.
Amid speculation about the exact timeline of their romance, Ariana and Ethan seem to have made a conscious effort to keep their relationship away from the public eye — which is what makes their recent Disneyland outing all the more significant.
An insider told People last month that the pair are “just trying to navigate their new relationship in private,” noting that the romance is apparently “much different than what has been portrayed in public.”
“People have tried to question the timeline,” another source told the outlet. “The truth is, Ariana and Ethan didn’t begin seeing each other until after both parties were separated, respectfully.”
“They are doing their best to balance the fact that they are in the public eye with the desire to be respectful to all parties involved,” added another.
