Lilly Jay: Sharing Her Heartbreak

Lilly Jay, whose marriage to Ethan Slater imploded as he moved on with Wicked costar Ariana Grande, wanted to keep her pain private. But in a new essay published on The Cut, the clinical psychologist revealed those days were over. “I really never thought I would get divorced,” Lilly wrote of her shock. “Especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity.”

Thrust into the spotlight, Lilly, 30, who’s known Ethan since high school, was initially angry, calling Ariana “not a girl’s girl” last year and griping that her family — including a son born in 2022 — was “collateral damage” amid the on-set romance. In her essay, she laments a “growing distance” from Ethan after their son’s birth and the humiliation of seeing the 32-year-old cozying up with Ariana to promote Wicked, “a movie associated with the saddest days of my life.”

Readers responded to Lilly’s honesty, many bashing Ethan — who a source says was aware his ex was writing about him — for ditching such an impressive woman for what they see as a fleeting romance. “Ariana has a rep for loving and leaving guys,” explains a source. The 31-year-old was wed to realtor Dalton Gomez for two years; her breakup ballad “Thank U, Next” name-checks many exes, including Pete Davidson. Not that Ethan seems worried. Says the source, “He’s so caught up in her world, it doesn’t occur to him that Ariana could dump him, too.”