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Louise Thomas
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Ariana Grande has denied an “evil” tabloid rumor about her relationship with her boyfriend, Ethan Slater.
The 31-year-old singer publicly addressed her romance with her Wicked co-star, who plays Boq in the upcoming film, during a cover story interview with Vanity Fair published on September 30. Grande began dating Slater in July 2023, shortly after ending her relationship with her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez.
Meanwhile, Slater had split from his wife, Lilly Jay, before starting his romance with the “Thank U, Next” singer. The former couple share a two-year-old son. Just days after the actors’ relationship went public, Jay claimed to Page Six that Grande was “not a girl’s girl” and that her “family is just collateral damage.”
There have since been many claims about the couple – including allegations that Slater supposedly left his family to be with the singer. However, speaking to Vanity Fair, Grande officially denied this narrative.
“There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him,” she said, before adding that she “will never go into certain details” about the criticism regarding her relationship.
She also acknowledged how difficult it was to see rumors about her and Slater when they first got together. “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it,” she explained. “That was definitely a tough ride.”
However, she still took the opportunity to applaud her partner’s character and kindness while in the public eye.
“No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,” Grande added. “There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls*** tabloid can rewrite in real life.”
While she confessed that she’s been hurt by some of the things she’s read in the tabloids over the years, Grande maintained that she’s not going to let it affect what she thinks about herself.
“Honestly, it’s taken me a lot of hard work to be able to last this long and to heal certain parts of my relationship to fame and to what I do because of these tabloids that have been trying to destroy me since I was 19 years old,” Grande added. “But you know what? I’m 31 years old and I’m not a perfect person, but I am definitely deeply good, and I’m proud of who I’m becoming. I will never let disreputable evil tabloids ruin my life or my perception of what is real and good.”
There have been many rumors surrounding Grande’s personal and romantic life within the past year. When she started her relationship with Slater in 2023, sources claimed that his ex was “blindsided” by the news. “It’s horrible. They were high school sweethearts,” a source told Page Six. “They have a baby! She’s a wreck.”
According to TMZ, the Broadway actor petitioned for divorce from Jay that same month, filing the documents in New York City on July 26, 2023. However, details of the reason for the split were not addressed by either party.
The “We Can’t Be Friends” singer has previously addressed some of the allegations made about her amid her romance with Slater. During an appearance onThe Zach Sang Show in February, the host told Grande that “people have crafted their own narratives” surronding her personal life, including claims about her divorce from Gomez and her subsequent romance with Slater.
“The thing is that like, we know this about the tabloids and the media,” Grande agreed. “Like, am I crazy? Don’t we know this?”
“We selectively remember that this is what the tabloids do to people, especially women, based on whether or not we like the person,” she continued. “We selectively leave space for humanness, for nuance. They don’t leave space for that - well, they do for their friends and their family, it’s selective. They turn it off when that aligns with the version of a person they have in their head that they want to believe is true.”
She also took to her Instagram Story in December 2023 to claim that the public had made some big “assumptions” about her throughout that last year.
“I’ve 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. “I have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other.”
Grande then explained that she was avoiding speaking out about certain online scrutiny, explaining: “I am reacting to things that deserve my energy only and removing and protecting myself from things that do not.”
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