Wicked: For Good is now in cinemas, but the press tour continues, with Ethan Slater, who plays Boq, appearing on The Today Show on November 21. The actor, who famously fell in love with Ariana Grande during production, spoke about his character's "emotional arc," but cleverly dodged a question about "working with his girlfriend" amid speculation that the pair have ended their relationship.
"What was it like working with your girlfriend?" Craig Melvin asked to which Ethan laughed and paused before sharing that "the entire cast was incredible".
"And Ariana is brilliant, and Cynthia is remarkable, and getting to watch those two women perform at such a high level up close was pretty special" he continued. Watch the moment above.
© Getty Images for Universal PictuThis pivot is a classic media training maneuver known as bridging, and the intense scrutiny the pair have been under has clearly guided their decision-making process. At the London premiere on November 17, videos of the pair also fueled the discussion, as they did not pose with each other, and pictures of the two standing next to each other show them not touching.
Ethan and Ariana have kept their romance largely private and have not been seen together publicly since April 2025, which has led to speculation around the nature of their relationship.
© Bruce Glikas/FilmMagicAriana met Ethan on the Wicked set in December 2022; at the time, Ethan was married to childhood sweetehart Lilly Jay, and the pair had welcomed a son in August 2022. Their relationship became public in July 2023, after Ariana filed for divorce from her then-husband, Dalton Gomez.
Ariana and Ethan have both only shared one picture of themselves on the press tour on social media; however, it was a picture of the two of them with Ethan's close friend and collaborator, Danny Skinner, which hints at the continued close nature of their relationship.
© Ethan SlaterDanny was the original Patrick Star in the SpongeBob SquarePants musical on Broadway for which Ethan was nominated for a Tony Award.
Ariana has had a string of public relationships before Ethan. She famously dated Pete Davidson and the late musician Mac Miller. She married Dalton Gomez during the pandemic, and officially filed for divorce in September 2023.
