As the year comes to an end, it seems as though we’re finally getting Ariana Grande’s response to those Ethan Slater cheating rumors. The “Thank U, Next” singer took to her Instagram Story to reflect on the rollercoaster that was 2023 and address some of the lingering “assumptions” about her personal life.
“One of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life,” Grande began her Instagram Story, which she shared on December 29, 2023. “There were so many beautiful and yet polarized feelings.” This year, the 30-year-old pop star landed a role in the forthcoming Wicked film alongside her now-boyfriend, Ethan Slater. She touched on her career, writing, “I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. I’ve never felt more fulfilled by or present in my work, being able to cherish every moment.”
She continued, “I gave everything I could have possibly given of my heart and of myself to the projects I was fortunate enough to be a part of and learned so much from every brilliant, beautiful, soul that I had the privilege of creating art with and crossing paths with this year.”
Despite the excitement these new projects brought her, Grande opened up about feeling “misunderstood” throughout the year. “I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life,” she wrote. While she didn’t name any names, her comments seem to address recent backlash following her divorce from Dalton Gomez and her new relationship with Slater.
Ariana Grande via Instagram stories 🥹‘i have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life’ pic.twitter.com/BDhGLc3URf— Ariana Grande Stats 💋 (@AriGrandeStats) December 29, 2023
The pair, who started dating in July 2023, were both recently linked to other partners before their relationship began making headlines. Grande allegedly separated from Gomez in the weeks leading up to her new romance, whereas Slater also called it quits that month with his high-school sweetheart Lilly Jay, whom he was married to since 2018. The timeline of their respective splits sparked rumors that they cheated on their partners, with one source telling Us Weekly in July, “Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce. Lilly never saw it coming!”
But after months of speculation, it seems Grande is finally attempting to put the rumors to rest and speak her truth. “I am listening to and trusting myself, even when fear or trauma tells me not to,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “I am reacting to things that deserve my energy only and removing and protecting myself from things that do not.”
The R.E.M. beauty founder went on to wish her fans a happy new year. “If you ever feel misunderstood or alone, just remember that it will pass and you are not,” she concluded.
Just a day before Ariana’s heartfelt message, a source close to the couple revealed to People that their romance has reached a “serious” level. “Ariana is serious with Ethan,” the insider shared. “She loves being with him.” The source also emphasized the normalcy of Ariana and Ethan’s connection, sharing that they “mostly enjoy staying in” despite occasionally venturing out. If this is any indication, it looks like we’ll be seeing more of these two in the new year!
