Ariana Grande’s boyfriend, Ethan Slater, has made a rare comment about his son as he revealed why he hasn’t been speaking about him.
Actor Ethan, 33, who shares Ezra, three, with his ex-wife Lilly Jay, confessed that he avoids speaking about his toddler because he wants him to meet the world on ‘his own terms’.
Appearing on a recent episode of Gianmarco Soresi’s podcast, The Downside, Ethan said: ‘I try not to tell stories about my son because I want to let him meet the world and let the world meet him on his own terms.
‘So I don’t tell stories or anecdotes.’
He then went on to explain that he has been having chats with his child about ‘what it means to be Jewish’.
The Wicked star said the conversation with Ezra was prompted after the tragedy on Australia’s Bondi Beach last year, which saw 25 people become victims of a terrorist mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration.
Ariana Grande’s boyfriend, Ethan Slater, 33, has made a rare comment about his son Ezra, three, as he revealed why he hasn’t been speaking about him (pictured in February 2025)
Actor Ethan, who shares Ezra with his ex-wife Lilly Jay, confessed that he avoids speaking about his toddler because he wants him to meet the world on ‘his own terms’Â
Ethan added: ‘I will just say, having that moment of lighting candles with him and talking about what it means to be Jewish has been a really interesting experience.’
He said he valued the conversation with his son as a moment of gratefulness amongst a time that has been filled with tragedy.
Ethan plays Boq Woodsman in the movie musical Wicked (Part One) and its sequel Wicked: For Good, a lovelorn Munchkin who longs for Glinda (played by Ariana) and later transforms into the Tin Man.
The former amateur wrestler and the pop star, 32, fell in love on the London set of the Broadway musical adaptation sometime between December 2022 and July 2023.
Scandal immediately surrounded the couple, because he was still married to his ‘heartbroken’ high school sweetheart, Lilly, but their divorce was finalised in September 2023.
‘I really never thought I would get divorced. Especially not just after giving birth to my first child and especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity,’ Lily wrote in The Cut last year.
‘I confidently moved to another country with my two-month-old baby and my husband to support his career.
‘Consumed by the magic and mundanity of new motherhood, I didn’t understand the growing distance between us.’
Ethan played Boq Woodsman in the movie musical Wicked (Part One) and its sequel Wicked: For Good, as he portrayed the Munchkin who longs for Glinda (played by Ariana)
Ariana and Ethan’s romance left Lilly blindsided by the divorce, it was claimed, after the Thank U Next singer spent time with her family.
A source close to Ariana and Ethan previously claimed that the singer ‘hung out’ with Lilly and her newborn baby multiple times before her romance with her co-star was revealed.
It is also believed that Ariana told those around her how much she ‘wanted a baby one day’ after bonding with Lilly and Ethan’s.
‘Lilly hung out with Ethan and Ariana so many times,’ the insider claimed.
‘Ariana met their baby and even held him. They had dinners together in London, and Ariana told Lilly that she wanted to have a baby one day and that she couldn’t wait to start a family.’
Ariana, who was engaged to Pete Davidson for four months in 2019, finalised her own divorce from real estate agent Dalton Gomez in October 2023 after 21 months of marriage.
In recent weeks, Ariana and Ethan had to dispel rumours that they had split, as fans speculated that they had gone their separate ways after not appearing in public together for a number of weeks.
On Boxing Day, Ariana and Ethan shared photos of an intimate gathering with friends, seemingly confirming that they spent time together during the holiday season.
The former amateur wrestler and the pop star, 32, notoriously fell in love on the London set of the Broadway musical adaptation sometime between December 2022 and July 2023
Scandal immediately surrounded the couple, as he was still married to his ‘heartbroken’ high school sweetheart, Lilly, but their divorce was finalised in September 2023
Ethan shared two short clips of the pop star posing with her dog Toulouse and smiling adoringly at him behind the camera.
Although Ethan did not make an appearance in the posts, Ariana reposted his Instagram Stories on her own page shortly afterwards, adding pink heart stickers.
Last month, the pair also shut down speculation of a breakup when he went to support Ariana at her hosting gig on Saturday Night Live.
She also reshared a photo, posted by her close friend Doug Middlebrook, of them sitting beside their pals Bowen Yang and Harry Moore.
