Ariana Grande facing backlash over resurfaced post as Ethan Slater’s ex-wife breaks silence

Ariana Grande is facing serious backlash over a resurfaced post as Ethan Slater’s ex-wife, Lilly Jay, has now broken her silence following their split.

Jay made her first public statement since the very public breakdown of her marriage to Slater, who allegedly 'left her' for Wicked co-star Grande.

Grande and Slater went public with their romance earlier this summer, just a matter of months are calling it quits with their respective partners.

The 'Thank U Next' singer filed for divorce from now-ex-husband Dalton Gomez, while Slater separated from wife Jay, who he's been romantically involved with since they were teenagers, before wedding in 2018 and welcoming their first child together in 2022.

Both Grande and Slater previously opened up about their new relationship and the rumours of cheating and infidelity which surrounded it.

Slater said in an interview for GQ in September of this year: "I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public.

"There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it's really hard to see people who don't know anything about what's happening commenting on it."

Meanwhile, Grande told Vanity Fair that same month: “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it.

"There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him."

And, now, in her bombshell article for The Cut, Jay has shared her thoughts on the matter.

She explained: "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’s new relationship with a celebrity."

In the piece, Jay also writes that she hoped her son would serve as a distraction when she was first dealt the brutal blow that Slater had moved on to a 'celebrity', careful not to name the singer/actress explicitly.

"Motherhood, I have learned, fills your time but not your mind. In the countless hours I spend rocking my son to sleep, pushing his stroller, marvelling at his sweaty little hands grasping a crayon, I work diligently on my private project of accepting the sudden public downfall of my marriage.

"This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide."

It didn't take long for fans to rush to social media sharing their thoughts on the situation and investigating both Slater and Grande's own social media accounts to find any 'evidence' to back up their speculation.

One person shared a screenshot of one of Slater's wedding photos with Jay, with the caption: "My best friend. 4 years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most *bizarre*) year yet."

Amongst the thousands of people who liked the photo was reportedly Grande - something which clearly hasn't sat well with people online.

While the photo is no longer on Slater's Instagram account, which only has 73 posts at the time of writing, there is at least one other instance of Grande liking a snap of Jay on Slater's account.

It was a Mother's Day photo dump which Slater captioned: "Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world - from me and this little guy."

After making the discovery, one X user penned: "Wow she’s the worst for this."

"This is heartbreaking," quipped a second, while a third hit out: "It’s always the ones who tell women 'you’re such a cute couple!'"

A fourth declared: "If a man leaves his 14 years relationship/marriage for you in general and especially here in this case so quickly... you just can't take him seriously."

"I honestly don't get it lol how can you just swap your friends spouse like that. This is betrayal on another level. They're no stranger," chirped another.

And a final X user added: "Almost like things change & friendships can sometimes transition into romance.

"But also, if Ethan decided to leave his gf of 10 yrs, that's on him NOT Ariana. Ariana was already divorced by then."