![\"Lilly](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-885832446-1-e1734632815868.jpeg?resize=384%2C216\")
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In 2023, Ethan Slater<\/strong><\/a> split from his wife of five years, Lilly Jay,\u00a0<\/strong>following reports that the Tony-nominated actor was dating<\/a> his\u00a0Wicked\u00a0<\/em>co-star\u00a0Ariana Grande<\/a><\/strong>. The news about Ariana and Ethan<\/a>\u2018s romance emerged on July 20, 2023. On July 26, 2023, Ethan filed for divorce<\/a> from Lilly in New York, according to documents obtained by TMZ<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that Wicked<\/em> has been released in theaters, Lilly has broken her silence over her public divorce in an essay published by The Cut<\/em><\/a>. Without naming Ariana, Lilly opened up about the \u201cpublic downfall of [her] marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSlowly 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,\u201d Lilly wrote. \u201cNo one gets married thinking they\u2019ll get divorced, in the same way we don\u2019t board a plane expecting to crash. But I really never thought I would get divorced. Especially not just after giving birth to my first child and especially not in the shadow of my husband\u2019s new relationship with a celebrity.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilly emphasized that she simply misses the \u201clife of invisibility\u201d that she \u201ccreated for [herself] as a psychologist specializing in women\u2019s mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out more about Lilly and her relationship with Ethan here.<\/p>\n While Lilly and Ethan got married in their 20s, they were actually together from a much younger age. It was revealed that they were high school classmates in a 2018 story about Ethan starring in the\u00a0Spongebob Squarepants Musical\u00a0<\/em>on Broadway, per\u00a0MoCo 360.\u00a0<\/em><\/a>The pair were engaged at the time. The Drama Desk Award winner revealed that they\u2019d been dating since 2012 in an Instagram post in November 2022. \u201cMy best friend. Four years married, 10 years together,\u201d he wrote in the tribute.<\/p>\n After six years together, Lilly and Ethan tied the knot in 2018. At the time, Ethan was starring in\u00a0The Spongebob Musical\u00a0<\/em>as the title character. He also made occasional TV appearances at the time in shows like\u00a0Law And Order: Special Victims Unit<\/em> and\u00a0The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.\u00a0<\/em>Lilly had also been his date to plenty of red carpet events, like the 2018 Tony Awards, where he was nominated for Best Actor In A Musical.<\/p>\n After four years of marriage, Lilly and Ethan welcomed their son together in August in an Instagram post with a photo of a \u201cWicked Cute\u201d onesie. In May 2023, he paid tribute to his wife on Mother\u2019s Day. \u201cHappy first Mother\u2019s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom\/person in the world, from me and this little guy,\u201d he wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n After nearly 5 years of hard work, hundreds of hours researching and writing over 200 pages worth of paradigm shifting thought in the field of psychology, my wife finally defended her dissertation. I am so proud of her, and cannot wait to introduce her at parties as kiddo.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ethan Slater (@ethansaslater) December 15, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n While Ethan mostly kept his relationship with Lilly private, he did tweet<\/a> congratulations for her after she completed work toward a psychology degree in December 2020. \u201cAfter nearly 5 years of hard work, hundreds of hours researching and writing over 200 pages worth of paradigm shifting thought in the field of psychology, my wife finally defended her dissertation. I am so proud of her, and cannot wait to introduce her at parties as kiddo,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Lilly broke her silence<\/a> about Ethan and Ariana\u2019s romance on July 27, 2023. \u201c[Ariana\u2019s] the story really. Not a girl\u2019s girl. My family is just collateral damage,\u201d Lilly said. At the time, she also said, \u201cThe story is her and Dalton,\u201d speaking about Ariana and her estranged husband Dalton Gomez<\/a><\/strong>. Lily also told\u00a0Page Six\u00a0<\/em>that she was focused on being \u201ca good mom\u201d to her and Ethan\u2019s son.<\/p>\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n![\"Lilly](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-971260216.jpeg?quality=100&w=683&resize=683%2C1024\")
Lilly and Ethan Were High School Sweethearts<\/h2>\n
Lilly and Ethan Got Married in 2018<\/h2>\n
Lilly & Ethan Have a Son Together<\/h2>\n
Lilly Studied Psychology<\/h2>\n
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Lilly Addressed the Reports About Ethan & Ariana<\/h2>\n