Ethan Slater's Ex-Wife 'Didn't Understand' Their 'Growing Distance' as He Was FilmingWicked

Mar. 15, 2025

Lilly Jay and Ethan Slater on Nov. 5, 2018.Photo:Mike Coppola/WireImage

Mike Coppola/WireImage

Ethan Slater’s ex-wifeLilly Jayis reflecting on the confusing time prior to their split.

They share a son, whom they welcomed in August 2022, and Slater is now datingWickedcostarAriana Grandeafter she alsoseparated from her ex-husband Dalton Gomez.

Ethan Slater, Lilly Jay and Ariana Grande.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Amy Sussman/WWD/Penske Media via Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Amy Sussman/WWD/Penske Media via Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Slater and Jay, who were high school sweethearts, officiallyfinalized their divorcein September.Wicked, the movie where Slater and Grande, 31, firstmet, released on Nov. 22 and quickly grew into one of themost popular moviesof 2024. The sequel,Wicked: For Good, is in theaters November 2025.

“It was a tenuous balance — my profession, which requires privacy, and his, which is measured in applause — but it worked well while life was unfolding according to our plans,” she wrote.

Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

“This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide. Slowly but surely, I have come to believe that in the absence of the life I planned with my high-school sweetheart, a lifetime of sweetness is waiting for me and my child,” she wrote.

“While our partnership has changed, our parenthood has not.Both of us fiercely love our son 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided. As for me, days with my son are sunny. Days when I can’t escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker.”

source: people.com