'Wicked' Co-Stars Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater 'Relieved' His Broken Ex Lilly Jay Didn't 'Throw Them Under Bus' in Bombshell Essay About Her Divorce
Insiders said Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were 'relieved' Lilly Jay did not 'throw them under the bus' in her viral essay.
Dec. 20 2024, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Lilly Jay has broken her silence over her divorce from Ethan Slater in a bombshell essay.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Ariana Grande and Slater are said to be "relieved" Jay didn't "throw them under the bus" in her essay.
In her essay for The Cut, Jay, a clinical psychologist, candidly penned about her traumatic childbirth, moving overseas to England – where Slater was filming Wicked with Grande – and how her marriage to her high school sweetheart crumbled as she was caring for her two-month-old baby.
Jay penned a heart-wrenching essay over her marriage to Slater ending.
Shortly after she moved to the U.K., Slater filed for divorce – and started dating Grande shortly after.
On the 7 Rings singer and Spongebob Squarepants broadway star's reaction to Jay's piece, an insider said: "They're relieved that Lilly didn’t throw them under the bus.
"Ethan and Ariana are fully aware of what happened, as is everyone who was around at the time.
Grande and Slater's romance started on-set.
"(Jay) made it clear that she moved to London with him and the timeline from that point forward speaks for itself.
"Filming was still occurring when they were first seen being intimate in photos and Lilly was no longer there so people can put two and two together – Lilly didn't need to."
According to the insider, Jay and Slater's divorce "restricted" the psychologist "from disclosing certain details about the events that transpired" around their separation, but did not prohibit her from "expressing her emotions surrounding the ordeal".
Sources said Slater and Grande were 'relieved' Jay did not write about their alleged affair.
The source added: "During the legal proceedings, Lilly was essentially silenced, unable to speak freely. Despite the circumstances, she came out of the divorce a winner."
They further noted Jay "showed dignity" by not airing details about "the affair," adding: "She knows that one day her son will read about this online and she wanted him to read that her first and only words on this were done so in a respectful and classy manner.
"The 'sponge' analogy was a subtle jab at the situation, but now that her story is out, she feels liberated.
"Though she was approached by nearly every media outlet, Lilly didn’t want to give an interview until she was ready. She wanted to control her own narrative and tell her story on her terms. And she did just that."
Fans slammed Grande and Slater's relationship after the essay went viral.
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While Jay may not have slammed her ex-husband and his new girlfriend in her essay, readers were outraged for her online.
As the essay made its rounds on social media, users called out Slater and Grande for "cheating" while applauding Jay's strength over the situation.
One X user said: "Feel so bad for Lilly Jay, nearly dying in childbirth, moving across the world for her husband's career, only for him to cheat and leave her for a pop star. "Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande should be ashamed of themselves."
Another took a swipe at the pop star, writing: "Ariana Grande is absolutely disgusting for this we stand with Lilly Jay."
