Amid Romance With Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater Shared His Take On Speaking About His Child Publicly

by

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater, who both recently ended their marriages and began a relationship in 2023, have generally kept their personal lives private. While they surprised some fans by sharing photos from their Christmas celebration, Slater continues to avoid discussing his son publicly, explaining his reasons in a recent interview.

Before he met Ariana Grande while filming Wicked, Ethan Slater was married to Lilly Jay, and they had a son together in August 2022. Lilly Jay publicly expressed her hurt feelings about their marriage ending so soon after their son was born, but Ethan Slater has mostly stayed quiet about his personal life, especially regarding their 3-year-old child. He recently explained his reasons for this silence on the Downside with Gianmarco Soresi podcast, saying:

As a film lover, I believe in letting people discover themselves organically, and that extends to how I talk about my son. I generally avoid sharing stories about him – I want him to be seen and understood as himself, not through my interpretations or preconceptions. I prefer letting him meet the world, and the world meet him, directly, without my narratives getting in the way.

It’s easy to see why, particularly given the Broadway actor’s relationship with Ariana Grande.

Ethan Slater, who plays Boq in Wicked, shared a personal story about his faith during a podcast interview. He talked about celebrating Hanukkah with his son and lighting the menorah, describing it as a meaningful experience and a chance to discuss what being Jewish means to him. He didn’t share many details, but expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share this with his child, calling it a “really interesting experience.”

It’s increasingly common for celebrities to shield their children from the public eye, and Ethan Slater is following that trend. Like Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger, who keep their kids’ faces off social media, Slater hasn’t revealed his son’s name publicly.

Okay, so celebrity baby names – it’s a whole thing, right? Remember when Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds kept their third daughter’s name under wraps until Taylor Swift casually dropped it in a song? Totally wild. And Khloé Kardashian played the long game, making us wait a full year to find out her son’s name on their show. But Adam Levine? He’s still keeping his youngest son’s name a secret, which, honestly, I get. It’s a bit of a sensitive topic considering the whole scandal his last baby’s name was caught up in. It just shows how much these parents value their privacy, even with all the public attention.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker haven’t revealed their son Rocky’s face, even though he’s been featured on their reality show, The Kardashians. Similarly, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard frequently share anecdotes about their daughters, including funny stories like their preference for nonalcoholic beer, but they’ve always kept Lincoln and Delta’s faces private, unlike Ethan Slater.

As a movie fan, I totally get why the Wicked actor would want to keep things private when it comes to his son, especially with all the attention around his relationship with Ariana Grande. That’s why it felt so sweet and special when he shared just a little glimpse of a really heartwarming moment they had over the holidays.

Read More

2026-01-08 19:42