It turned out that Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's time together was not meant to be unlimited.

The Wicked-cute couple, who met in 2022 when production started on Jon M. Chu's two-part saga, have broken up after almost three years of dating, E! News confirmed.

Speculation that they were no longer together preceded the news, as it had been six months since the last notable sighting of the pair, when Slater showed up at the Saturday Night Live after-party to support Grande when she hosted in December.

But they lived the fairy tale while it lasted, the experience of shooting and then promoting the juggernaut that was Wicked changing everyone involved for good.

"I hope this isn’t all a dream because as present as i am attempting to be, it sure does feel like one," Ariana wrote on Instagram in April 2023. "happy halfway to this most beautiful crew. my fellow Ozians. my heart will be stuck here forever."

Meanwhile, it wasn't public knowledge yet, but the 32-year-old had separated from husband Dalton Gomez that February after less than two years of marriage.

The exact timing wasn't known until they both filed for divorce that September, but E! News learned July 17, 2023, that Grande and Gomez had split up. Three days later, a source confirmed that Grande was dating Slater, who on July 26 filed for divorce from his wife of four years, Lilly Jay. (The exes share now-3-year-old son Ezra.)

Meanwhile, production on Wicked and Wicked: For Good was on pause during the summer of 2023 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes when this tornado of news touched down.

And while no one involved clarified what exactly happened and when, Grande admitted after the dust had settled that she was stricken by how many people assumed she was the wicked one in this bunch.

"I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don't know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life," she wrote in December 2023 on her Instagram Stories. "I have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other."

As she put it on a February 2024 episode of The Zach Sang Show, "I feel like we don't need to go into any specifics. But of course, there's an insatiable frustration, inexplicable, hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love, and you and anything."

While there were reports that she and Slater were separated from their respective spouses by the time their romance began, the more popular narrative was the salacious one.

“It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,” Grande told Vanity Fair in an interview published in September 2024. “Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did."

Ultimately, she added, "The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it. That was definitely a tough ride.”

As for Slater, Grande said, “There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him."

“No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about," she continued. "There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls--t tabloid can rewrite in real life.”

However, she and Slater did find time to simply enjoy dating, going to Disney World, hockey games, Broadway shows and more, while also supporting each other's non-Wicked work. When previews started for the Spamalot revival starring Slater in October 2023, Grande was there. And when she released her 2024 album eternal sunshine, Slater praised his girlfriend's awe-inspiring singing talent as well as songwriting prowess.

"She's incredible," Ethan told E! News at the time. "She's not a singer who wants to be an actress or an actress who wants to be a singer. She's just the best of both."

The 34-year-old also acknowledged ahead of Wicked's November 2024 release that it had been a bittersweet year.

"There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening," he told GQ, "so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love. So just to address that part of it, that feels really hard.”  

Simultaneously, however, it had been "an amazing year," Slater added, “and I’m just really excited. I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this."

"There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening," he told GQ at the time, "so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love. So just to address that part of it, that feels really hard.”  

Simultaneously, however, it had been "an amazing year," Slater added, “and I’m just really excited. I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this."

He ceded the spotlight to Grande when she was nominated for a 2025 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her magical turn as future good witch Glinda—she and Cynthia Erivo were stuck like glue all awards season—but he did join her for date nights at the subsequent SAG Awards and Oscars.

While they were largely out of sight leading up to the November premiere of Wicked: For Good, all seemed status quo as 2026 approached, such as when Slater was spied joining Grande after her third time hosting SNL.

But when he skipped the Globes in January, though Grande scored repeat recognition, his absence may have been a sign of which way the wind was blowing for the romantic portion of their relationship.

See how Grande and Slater went from friends and costars to more, and back again.

After a source close to the couple—who met on the set of Wicked—told E! News they had “recently” begun dating in July 2023, Grande subtly supported Slater by “liking” a photo announcing his role in Spamalot on Broadway in early September 2023. 

Later that same month, the two were seen out together for the first time at, naturally, Grande’s favorite place on Earth, Disney World. In photos shared by TMZ, the duo walked around the Florida theme park arm-in-arm. 

A source close to Grande and Slater told E! News after the excursion, “they went with a big group of friends including her mom and brother and are really happy and really good for each other.”

The costars engaged in some subtle PDA at dinner in New York City in photos obtained by TMZ. A few weeks later, Grande stepped out to support Slater during previews of Spamalot on Broadway where he played The Historian/Prince Herbert. 

Grande was gleaming as she made her way out of St. James Theater alongside friends, sporting a paper crown from the show and clutching a Playbill. 

Grande later attended the opening night of Spamalot and shared an Instagram post highlighting her evening. In the photos, Grande sported an elegant black dress and accessorized with sheer black gloves and a Spamalot cup. The last slide of her carousel included a nod to the cast—which included Slater—with a message reading, “Happy Opening of Broadway Show.”

In a rare life update on Instagram in Dec. 2023, Grande showed off some of her holiday celebrating a photo of a wall Christmas tree with a Spam can ornament. Fans quickly pointed out the connection to Slater, as Spamalot was running on Broadway at the time. 

On Dec. 23, 2023, the couple stepped out with Grande’s father Ed Butera for dinner in New York City. 

That same month, Grande teased new music and would go on to announce Eternal Sunshine in early 2024. Although no songs are explicitly about Slater on the album, fans pointed out that the album’s initials, E.S., coincidentally—or not—match the initials of Ariana’s boyfriend. 

In March 2024, Ariana and ex Dalton Gomez finalized their divorce. That summer, Grande’s brother Frankie Grande gave her new romance his stamp of approval. 

“I love him,” Frankie said of Slater in a June 2024 interview with TooFab. “He’s a very sweet guy.”

A few days after Frankie’s interview went live, Grande and Slater attended the 2024 Stanley Cup final in Florida together—marking their most public joint outing since their romance debut. 

In an interview with Vanity Fair published in Sept. 2024, Grande addressed her romance with Slater publicly for the first time—pushing back on the  speculation of the couple's romantic timeline overlapping with their previous relationships. 

“It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,” she told the outlet. “Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did.”

Grande went on to defend Slater against any negativity thrown at him. 

“There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him,” Grande added. “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bullshit tabloid can rewrite in real life.”

That same month, Slater finalized his divorce with ex Lilly Jay—with whom he shares a young son. 

A month after he showed support for Grande’s October 2024 Saturday Night Live hosting gig, Slater addressed their relationship—and the scrutiny surrounding it—for the first time. 

“It was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing,” Slater reflected on falling in love with Grande while filming Wicked in a Oct. 2024 GQ interview. “I’m just really excited. I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this. She’s poured herself into it.”

Still, Slater admitted he found it difficult to wait for people to like him again as they clung to their papers and pens. 

“I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,” he added. “There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it.”

But he was able to block out the noise somewhat. As he added of Grande’s song “Imperfect For You,” which is rumored to be about him, “I love that song.”

One short day in the Emerald City, or rather in the Australian city of Sydney, Grande and Slater attended a press event for Wicked and wrapped their arms around each other.

On June 8, a source told E! News the pair had "broken up after nearly three years together."