The actor, also known for ‘The SpongeBob Musical’ and ‘Fosse/Verdon,’ welcomed his child in August 2022.

Wicked star Ethan Slater shares why he won’t talk about his son amid Ariana Grande romance

The actor, also known for 'The SpongeBob Musical' and 'Fosse/Verdon,' welcomed his child in August 2022.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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January 7, 2026 8:27 p.m. ET

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Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande. Credit:

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Ethan Slater has stayed quiet about his young son, and he plans to keep it that way.

"I try not to tell stories about my son because I want to let him meet the world and let the world meet him on his own terms," the *Wicked: For Good* star said on a recent episode of *The Downside With Gianmarco Soresi* podcast in response to question about the things for which he is grateful. "So I don't tell stories or anecdotes."

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Still, Slater, who's in a relationship with his costar in the franchise, Ariana Grande, offered a few words on the subject.

“I will just say that having that moment of lighting candles [on the menorah] with him and talking about what it means to be Jewish has been a really interesting experience," he said of the son he shares with ex-wife Lilly Jay. "And so, I'm grateful for that in a sea of not being grateful for a lot of other things. I've been finding some hope in that."

'Wicked: For Good' features Ethan Slater as the Tin Man.

Universal Pictures

The Broadway actor, who plays munchkin Boq and transforms into the Tin Man in *Wicked: For Good*, has spoken vaguely about his son in the past.

He described being a father as "the best thing in the world" in an October 2024 interview with *GQ*. "It's been an interesting thing to navigate as a new parent. There's nothing I want to do more than just show you pictures and talk about him because he’s the best and the light of my life."

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Back then, he also said he wanted his offspring to "meet the world in an analog way and not through my words."

Slater and Jay finalized their divorce in September 2024, after breaking up during the making of the musical blockbuster.**

Jay has spoken out about their co-parenting.

"While our partnership has changed, our parenthood has not," she wrote in a December 2024 essay for The Cut. "Both of us fiercely love our son 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided."

She explained that "days with my son are sunny. Days when I can't escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker."**

Watch Slater's full conversation above.**

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