Pop star Ariana Grande has officially filed for divorce from her husband, luxury real estate broker Dalton Gomez. The pair were married for two years, and filed for divorce at the same time in Los Angeles.
The pop singer first raised suspicion on a separation when she was spotted with close friend and “Wicked” costar Jonathan Bailey at Wimbledon sans wedding ring.
Shortly after the ring-less appearance, rumors broke that Grande had begun a relationship with her other “Wicked” co-star, actor Ethan Slater. Slater notably played the titular character in “Spongebob: The Musical” on Broadway. Slater is recently separated from Lily Jay, who he was married to for four years and in a relationship with for 10. The former couple share one child together. Jay later addressed the rumors, telling Page Six that Grande was “not a girl’s girl.”
Ethan Slatergate
Entertainment Tonight confirmed that Grande and Slater were simply “not a good fit”, and that Gomez had not anticipated the busy schedule and heavy media scrutiny placed on the singer. The pair married amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and reportedly got to know each other during the lockdown period. Once the entertainment industry reopened, their lack of compatibly became more apparent.
Amid the cheating allegations on behalf of both parties that surfaced surrounding Slater and Grande, internet sleuths began revisiting Grande’s high profile dating history, and further raising cheating allegations in the past. The late actress Naya Rivera once alleged in her memoir that the singer was already seeing rapper Big Sean while he was engaged to Rivera, and Cazzie David once alleged that her longtime boyfriend Pete Davidson broke up with her over text immediately before news of his relationship with Grande broke.
Throughout the ensuing social media commentary surrounding Grande’s alleged lack of support for other women and homewrecking relationships, actress Rikki Valentina first emerged with a vague allegation. She shared a video referencing an ex-boyfriend of the distant past who once appeared on Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” alongside Grande.
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@rikkivalentina Iv’e been waiting to share this tea ☕️#arianagrande #ethanslater #wicked #daltongomez
After the video received viral attention, Valentina offered further details on the situation. In 2010, her ex-boyfriend Christian Fortune booked an appearance on “Victorious” early in his acting career. Fortune was four years her senior, and Valentina confessed to feeling manipulated by him years later. The actress alleges that he cheated on her with Grande, who was dating Graham Phillips at the time. She went on to detail that Grande allegedly sent Fortune flirtatious messages and photos via AIM.
@rikkivalentina Replying to @Karlie its a long story #arianagrande #ethanslater
Neither Grande nor Gomez have spoken further on their divorce at this time. Grande and Slater are yet to appear in the public eye together.
