Ariana Grande and her boyfriend, Ethan Slater, are ringing in the holidays in true Wicked fashion — colorful and fabulous. The couple was spotted in Manhattan picking out a Christmas tree together on Dec. 1, confirming that they are now a bit more public about their romance and celebrating the holidays together.
Sources revealed to Page Six that the pop star, 31, and her musical actor boyfriend, 32, chose their holiday centerpiece from Yianni Karadimas’ iconic Christmas tree stand on 62nd and Broadway. And this wasn’t just any evergreen because the lush conifer reportedly set them back $300.
Apart from celebrating being in each other’s company, Grande and Slater are rejoicing over how… popular their new movie has turned out to be. An insider told the outlet, “They are celebrating the success of Wicked and keeping things low-key as they enjoy the holiday season together.”
As of Dec. 2, Wicked has reportedly raked in an impressive $359 million at the global box office, according to Forbes. A big chunk of it ($262 million) came from its domestic ticket sales, while $97 million came from overseas cinemas. The Thanksgiving weekend purportedly helped boost its numbers.
In addition to the success of Grande’s big-screen project, there’s a buzz about a potential nomination for her in the Best Supporting Actress category at the upcoming Academy Awards. Her co-lead, Cynthia Erivo, is also expected to snag a nod for Best Actress and battle it out with other standouts this year, such as Angelina Jolie and Mikey Madison.
Amid the good news of her movie’s box office performance, Grande channeled her character Glinda when she stepped out with her beau to shop some Christmas decor. A snap shared by actress Ally Bouska, who spotted the couple as they picked up their tree, showed the “Santa Tell Me” songstress donning an oversized, off-white puffy coat cinched with a belt and a cream-colored scarf around her head. On the other hand, Slater kept things casual by wearing a gray tweed coat over a matching sweater, black pants, and a dark baseball cap.
While many fans are warming up to the idea of Grande dating Slater, others are still skeptical since, aside from the controversy on how they got together, they also find it odd that the Grammy winner is dating someone who has an uncanny resemblance to her older brother, Frankie Grande.
For months, several TikTok content creators have been pointing out the striking similarities between Slater and Frankie, with many of them putting photos of the two side by side to prove that the two look alike. Many claim it’s because of the round brown eyes, thin lips, and the subtle gap between their front teeth.
One video from TikToker Sam Stryker, which has now been viewed 3.7 million times, raised eyebrows and got many people throwing jokes at Grande’s preference. “The nose?? the CROOKED SAME smile??? the no thought eyes??? that’s literally insane,” one commented, while another quipped the singer’s dating Slater because “he just feels like home.”
Grande has faced heavy scrutiny after her relationship with Slater was confirmed in July 2023. She filed for divorce from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez, two months later, and Slater followed suit by divorcing his wife of seven years, Lilly Jay. Insiders claimed at the time that the two fell in love while working on the set of Wicked in 2022.
Since doing the press tour for Wicked, Grande and Slater have slowly earned the approval of fans. But regardless of the reactions to their relationship, it seems the couple is now ready to openly show their affection for each other based on their latest sighting.
Published: Dec 4, 2024 07:37 am