Ariana Grande is fighting back against critics of her relationship, wondering why the world cares so much about her private life.
It’s been a little over six months since fans found out about Grande’s romance with her Wicked costar, Ethan Slater.
The backstory…
In case you (somehow) missed it: the singer made headlines in July after rumors began swirling that she was dating her costar just days after news broke of her split from Dalton Gomez.
To make matters worse, Slater was not only married, but had recently welcomed a child with his wife.
Ethan welcomed his first baby with Lilly Jay in August 2022, and he filed for divorce from her in July 2023.
It’s been reported that Ariana and Ethan first met when Wicked rehearsals began in 2022, back when they were both still with their respective spouses.
Here comes damage control!
Still, sources close to both parties have denied speculation that they cheated on their partners, claiming that they only began dating when they were both single.
While the couple’s PR teams tried to emphasize that there was no foul play in their union, that’s not what everyone involved seems to think.
Ethan’s now-ex-wife, Lilly, told Page Six that she feels Ariana is “not a girl’s girl.”
Jay was left “devastated” by the divorce
“My family is just collateral damage,” she said of Ariana’s latest relationship.
“I am focused on rebuilding a life for our son and rebuilding a life for him,” she continued. “This is what I am trying to do, and this is my only focus.”
Fans were already upset with Ariana, but Lilly’s comments only further fueled the vitriol going her way.
Especially since this isn’t the first time Grande has been involved in other couples’ breakups.
She has a bad track record…
When Grande first met Mac Miller in 2012, it was widely reported that he cheated on his longtime girlfriend Nomi Leasure with Ariana after they collaborated on a song together.
In 2018, Nomi confirmed in a Tumblr post that the late rapper had cheated on her during their relationship, but did not point the finger at Ariana, specifically.
In 2016, the late Glee star Naya Rivera suggested in her book that Big Sean had cheated on her with Ariana.
“I walk in, go downstairs, and guess what little girl is sitting cross-legged on the couch listening to music?” she wrote in her book. “C’mon, people, I’m not going to tell you, but you can guess because it’s not that hard! (it rhymes with ‘Smariana Schmande,’ if you’re really have a hard time.) “
The same rumors surround Grande’s short-lived romance with Pete Davidson, who was in a long-term relationship with Cazzie David shortly before they got together.
According to David, Pete ended their relationship in a text message, and 24 hours after that, she saw on Instagram that he was now with Ariana.
Grande isn’t escaping the “homewrecker” allegations any time soon, but according to her new song, she’s just fine with that.
She’s ready to address the haters
This Friday, Ariana released a new track called “Yes, And?”
At one point in the song, she sings these lyrics: “Your business is yours and mine is mine / Why do you care so much whose d**k I ride?”
She goes on to sing: “Now, I’m so done with caring / What you think, no, I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections / Or change my most authentic life.”
Many fans on social media have expressed their disappointment at the lyrics, especially in light of multiple “homewrecker” allegations throughout her career.
Still, it’s only just speculation that Ariana is referring to Ethan specifically in the new song.
This comes as Ariana Grande is giving fans new music for the first time in years.
Over the past decade, Ariana has solidified her spot as one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
In addition to topping the charts, she’s received numerous awards throughout her career, including two Grammy awards.
She’s also won a Brit Award, a Bambi Award, two Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, nine MTV Video Music Awards, and 35 Guinness World Records.
But, over the past couple years, Ariana has been in the headlines more for her love life than she has for her music.
The singer married real estate agent Dalton Gomez in 2021, which came following a very public–and very short-lived–engagement to Pete Davidson.
Despite keeping their marriage more private than Grande’s previous love interests, it didn’t last, and the couple got divorced in 2023.
That split was surrounded by even more controversy, with Ariana being linked to another man before her divorce was finalized.
TMZ broke the news that Grande and Gomez were calling it quits in January 2023.
Over the next few months, there were rumors that Ariana’s split was caused by her close relationship with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater.
In July, reports of Grade’s divorce became official, and just a few days later, sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Grande “recently” started dating Slater.
“Ariana and Dalton separated in January,” the source said at the time. “She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife.”
Sources told Page Six that Slater’s wife was “completely blindsided” by his relationship with Grande, going on to file for divorce.
Because of the questionable timeline–and the fact that Grande’s new boyfriend just had a baby with his ex-wife–a lot of fans have turned their back on Ariana.
Regardless of the public scrutiny surrounding her relationship, the singer has just announced that she is returning to music with a new single titled, “Yes, And?”
The single is set to be released on Friday, January 12.
Grande revealed the news of her upcoming track on Instagram on Sunday, posting a photo of her with red lipstick.
Ariana has yet to release music of her own since her album Positions in 2020.
Back in August, she celebrated the 10th anniversary of her debut album Yours Truly, releasing an album reissue featuring new live recordings.
Judging from the headlines and Grande’s own words, it seems like this single will tell fans a lot about what she’s been going through recently.
In December, the “7 Rings” singer expressed her gratitude for 2023, which she described as “one of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life.”
“I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me,” she wrote at the time.
Grande continued, “I’ve never felt more fulfilled by or present in my work, being able to cherish every moment.”
“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 near,” she wrote.
Grande also updated fans on her seventh studio album last month, sharing a photo dump on Instagram that included a clip of her sleeping on a studio couch.
In the clip, Grande curled up on the sofa as a collaborator asked her about her mindset during “almost the last day of this album.”
Ariana explained at the time that she was “so tired but so happy and grateful.”
“Yes, And?” will be available to purchase and stream on January 12.