Ethan Slater Says He’s ‘Unendingly Proud’ of Ariana Grande

Ethan Slater is “unbelievably proud” of everybody in the Wicked cast — especially his girlfriend, Ariana Grande.

“I’m unbelievably proud of her,” Slater, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 40th Artios Awards in New York City on Wednesday, February 12. “She worked so hard. She and Cynthia [Erivo] worked so unbelievably hard to not only make this movie and be the best versions of Glinda and Elphaba, but to promote it. They’re incredible. I’m unendingly proud.”

In January, Wicked received multiple 2025 Oscar nominations. While Erivo, 38, received a Best Actress in a Leading Role nod for her portrayal of Elphaba, Grande, 31, received recognition in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category thanks to her performance as Glinda.

“I don’t know if there’s preparation. It’s just riding the wave,” Slater said ahead of the 97th Academy Awards. “We’re all having fun. … We’re all just rooting for each other because we get to still celebrate this thing that we loved to make. Whether we win or lose, it’s just a big celebration to be able to do the thing that we love so much. It’s really special.”

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's Relationship Timeline

Away from the big screen, Slater and Grande have been dating since July 2023. While the “Dangerous Woman” singer has spoken out about enduring criticism due to the public nature of her relationships, Slater hopes to keep the attention on their professional work.

“I think we’re both able to just focus on the movie whenever these conversations come up,” Slater said about having a relationship in the spotlight. “We’re talking about Wicked and focusing on the work we’ve all done and how proud we are of each other as actors. Everybody in the cast is a big family, so I think focusing on that is the way to move forward.

As the cast and crew continue to celebrate the success of Wicked, the film’s second installment, Wicked: For Good, is set to be released in November.

While Slater said he couldn’t share too many details while stepping out at the Edison Ballroom, the actor teased that every character “gets to deepen their story line” in the upcoming film.

“[Director] Jon [M. Chu] once said that Wicked is all about what you do when you finally learn the truth,” he teased. “And I think all those groups come to bear that in the second film. So, personally, I’m really excited about Boq’s relationship with Nessa [Marissa Bode] — we get to spend a lot more time with the two of them and see how they develop, which is exciting for me.”

As for Grande and Erivo’s characters, Slater said there’s so much more to come.

“I think people have seen already how Ariana and Cynthia have given such emotional depth to their characters and Ari in particular; her comedy is so good, and yet there’s a real truth and grounding to it,” he shared with Us. “I think what might surprise people is how far that goes in such a beautiful way. I haven’t gotten to see it yet, so I’m just remembering from what I saw on the day [we filmed]. But on the day, it was really special to witness.”

During Wednesday’s red carpet event, Slater also wanted to take a moment to celebrate the contributions of casting professionals across theater, film and television at the Artios Awards.

Ethan Slater Makes 1st Comments About 'Beautiful' Ariana Grande Romance 

The actor specifically called out casting directors “who have helped me intimately navigate this world.”

“I’m really excited to celebrate the people who get actors to the place where they can tell a story and the storytelling that casting directors do,” he said. “It’s really exciting. I was thrilled to be invited. I’m just grateful to be here.”

With reporting by Andrew Nodell