Pop superstar Ariana Grande and her partner, actor Ethan Slater, have moved decisively to silence persistent rumours of a relationship breakdown, sharing coordinated personal posts on social media the day after Christmas.
Boxing Day Social Media Reunion
On Boxing Day, the pair took to their respective Instagram accounts to post glimpses of what appeared to be an intimate holiday gathering with friends. The shared content strongly suggests they spent the festive season together, directly challenging whispers of a separation that have circulated for months.
Slater, 33, initiated the posts, uploading two brief clips featuring Grande, 32. The videos showed the singer posing affectionately with her dog, Toulouse, and smiling warmly at Slater, who was behind the camera. Although Slater himself did not appear in the footage, Grande swiftly reposted his Stories to her own page, embellishing them with pink heart stickers.
A Pattern of Public Reassurances
This Boxing Day activity continues a recent pattern of the couple publicly reinforcing their bond. Just days earlier, Slater was photographed supporting Grande backstage at Saturday Night Live, where she hosted an episode. Their joint appearance came after a significant period without being seen together publicly, further fuelling split speculation.
Grande also reshared a photograph from her close friend, Doug Middlebrook, which captured the couple sitting alongside pals Bowen Yang and Harry Moore. Another candid snap posted by Slater showed Grande laughing beside Middlebrook, over which he wrote 'Very merry holidays'.
Background of the Romance and Scrutiny
Grande and Slater were first romantically linked in the summer of 2023, following their respective divorce filings earlier that year. Their relationship, which blossomed on the set of the Wicked film adaptation, faced immediate public scrutiny. Fans noted that when production began in December 2022, Grande was still married to Dalton Gomez, and Slater was married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, who had recently given birth to their son.
The subsequent promotion of Wicked: For Good saw another wave of rumours, this time suggesting a breakup, as the pair were rarely spotted together. A source told the Daily Mail in October that the couple had been 'on and off for most of this year'.
However, their recent united front—from the SNL support and the New York City premiere of Wicked in November to these latest holiday posts—appears designed to firmly quash the gossip mill and present a picture of a couple very much together.
