Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater had a wickedly good time at CinemaCon 2024.
The couple were spotted getting close while grabbing dinner at Nobu Caesars Palace on Wednesday, April 10. The pair attended the Las Vegas film conference to promote their upcoming movie musical, Wicked.
In a video shared by TMZ on Thursday, April 12, Grande, 30, sported the same pink flower petal dress she wore during the film’s CinemaCon panel while sitting next to Slater, 31, at the restaurant. Slater was seen placing his arm behind Grande’s chair, while the pop star leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.
Grande was joined by Slater and their fellow Wicked costars Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, as well as director Jon M. Chu, at CinemaCon on Wednesday, where attendees got a special sneak pic of the movie.
“We both felt such a tremendous responsibility to honor these women and to pour our hearts, our souls, our tears — so many different pairs of lashes,” Grande said on stage. Erivo, 37, added, “I’m really grateful for this journey that we’ve taken together.”
Grande shared a slideshow of pics from the event via Instagram on Thursday, with Slater featured in one of the cast taking a mirror selfie together. Goldlbum, 71, shared the full selfie via his own Instagram, which he captioned, “Over the rainbow to be reunited with this magical family! 🌈🧙🏼♂️🔮💚🩷✨.”
Grande and Slater met on the set of Wicked playing Glinda the Good Witch and Boq, respectively. News broke in July 2023 that Grande had been separated from her ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, the same month Slater filed for divorce from his ex-wife, Lilly Jay.
Grande and Gomez, 28, finalized their divorce in October 2023, while Slater and Jay’s divorce and custody agreements are still in mediation. (The pair share a son.)
“Things between Ariana and Ethan have grown more serious in the past few months, and they’re pretty much inseparable,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in January. “Ariana cared deeply for Ethan and absolutely sees a future with him. She’s looking forward to a fresh start in the new year and can’t wait to see how things continue to grow for them.”
Grande was seemingly inspired by her new romance and split from Gomez while making her new album, Eternal Sunshine, which was released on March 8. “Ariana thinks these songs will provide a lot of insight for her fans,” another source exclusively told Us last month. “[It’s] her side of the story regarding Dalton and Ethan.”
On the album’s lead single, “Yes, And?,” Grande seemingly claps back at critics of her and Slater’s romance. “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply,” she sings on the bridge. “Your business is yours and mine is mine / Why do you care so much whose — I ride?”