Ariana Grande celebrated the premiere of Wicked: For Good with a swanky dinner with her family in Mayfair on Monday, but there was one person noticeably absent.
The actress, 31, swapped her vintage sequinned gown for an eye-catching black dress with floral embellishments as she and her loved ones headed to one of London’s most prestigious eateries.
While much of Ariana’s close family, including her parents Joan and Eddie and her brother Frankie, were in attendance for the meal, there was no sign of the star’s on/off boyfriend Ethan Slater.
Insiders have claimed that relations between the couple have become strained, though Ethan appeared to address the speculation with a telling social media post over the weekend.
During the red carpet premiere, Ariana and Ethan also kept their distance, with the pair failing to pose for any pictures together.
Instead, Ariana and co-star Cynthia Erivo posed for a string of images together, having swapped their trademark green and pink outfits for sultry dark gowns.
Ariana Grande celebrated the premiere of Wicked: For Good with a swanky dinner with her family in Mayfair on Monday, but there was one person noticeably absent
The actress swapped her vintage sequinned gown for an eye-catching black dress as she and her loved ones headed to one of London’s most prestigious eateries
Ariana had joined the cast for the UK premiere of the sequel Wicked: For Good, which is set to be released on November 21
Ethan and Ariana met on the set of Wicked back in 2022, and began dating the following year while the Broadway star was still married to his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay.
Daily Mail then revealed last month that Ariana and Ethan’s plans for a wedding were put on hold, and while they haven’t been pictured together since April, sources claimed they’ve been ‘on and off’ for several months.
In the wake of the speculation, Ethan appeared to put the rumours to bed with a telling Instagram post over the weekend, following the release of NBC’s special Wicked: One Wonderful Night.
Among Ethan’s gallery of snaps, Ariana was noticeably present, including one backstage image that showed the actress and co-star Bowen Yang in a Wicked-themed photobooth.Â
The programme saw Ariana and her co-star Cynthia Erivo perform an array of songs from the upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good which is set to be released on November 21.
Ethan’s post also came ahead of the London premiere of Wicked: For Good, which both he and Ariana are expected to attend alongside the cast.Â
When news of their romance broke in July 2023, Ariana had just split from her husband Dalton Gomez, while Slater was still married to his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay with whom he shared a then one-year-old son.
That November, claims surfaced that the duo had taken their relationship to the next level, with Grande said to be living with the Spongebob Squarepants actor in New York City, during his turn in Broadway musical Spamalot.
The singer’s parents Joan Grande and Edward Butera were also in attendance for the dinner after walking the red carpet
While much of Ariana’s close family, were in attendance for the meal, there was no sign of the star’s on/off boyfriend Ethan Slater (pictured)
Ariana’s mother Joan opted for a chic black dress and a matching blazer after supporting her daughter at the premiere
Her brother Frankie commanded attention in a daring leather co-ord, with an open jacket displaying his toned chest
Ariana’s father Edward opted for a sharp black suit at the premiere
During the red carpet premiere, Ariana and Ethan also kept their distance, with the pair failing to pose for any pictures together
Instead, Ariana and co-star Cynthia Erivo posed for a string of images together, having swapped their trademark green and pink outfits for sultry dark gowns
Months later a furore broke out over the release of her singles Yes, and? – which appears to take aim at the hate she received over their romance – and The Boy is Mine on which she sings about a man she shouldn’t date because she ‘don’t wanna ’cause no scene’ as she is ‘usually so unproblematic.’
Critics have been feeding on signs their romance is not built to last and have long speculated that they have in fact silently split. Â
Many have suggested they will not make it known until after Wicked 2 premieres and the hype dies down so as not to overshadow the release and the run up to the 2026 awards season.
Stars of the much-anticipated sequel Wicked: For Good graced their very own yellow brick road on Monday as they attended the glitzy UK premiere in London.
The film, set for release on November 21, is the conclusion of the beloved tale of famous two witches of Oz, and is based on the hugely successful musical, which first premiered in 2003.
As ever, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo took centre stage, with their outfits a stark contrast to the pink and green looks they’d worn to promote the first film last year.
Touching on the film’s darker tone, the duo opted for sultry outfits, with Ariana dazzling in a vintage black gown adorned with sequins from iconic costume designer Gilbert Adrian, who created outfits for The Wizard Of Oz in 1939.
Meanwhile Cynthia was dressed in an edgy navy blue gown with PVC leather detailing, with a belted waist and a bustier neckline.
It comes after Ariana and Cynthia were teased by fans after creating another viral moment during their ongoing Wicked press tour.Â
During the Wicked: For Good premiere in Paris on Friday, the duo were asked to describe each other’s ‘auras’ by an Elle magazine journalist.
Ariana said Cynthia’s was ‘yellow,’ like ‘sunshine.’ She added, ‘I think there’s also purple.’
Cynthia then said about Ariana: ‘I see, like a ciel blue, you know? Like aqua. And like, sunset-orange.’Â
The co-stars-turned-friends are in the throes of promoting the follow-up to last year’s Wicked. And the pair are once again generating buzz for their emphatic, effervescent chemistry during interviews.
Following the red carpet moment, one person wrote on Reddit, ‘I can’t go through this again,’ in reference to the movie stars’ previous ‘cringeworthy’ press run moments last year.
Wicked: For Good is directed by award-winning Jon M. Chu, who was also behind the 2024 film.
The first movie was a box office success and raked in around $747.2 million on a budget of $150 million.
Wicked also received critical praise and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won two in March this year during the glitzy ceremony.
