How producers kept Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's romance under wraps

Since the news broke that Ariana Grande was dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, the romance—and lingering questions about their relationship timeline—has cast a shadow over the highly anticipated film. 

With an ambitious $145 million budget and a November 22 release date after years of delays, Universal Pictures executives reportedly grew anxious that the couple’s controversial relationship might jeopardize the musical’s success.

According to insiders, studio heads advised Grande and Slater to "lay low" for six months, hoping the controversy would cool before the film's debut. 

"When the relationship first surfaced, there was real concern from the studio about its impact on Wicked," an insider told DailyMail.com. 

"Ariana and Ethan were told to disappear from the public eye for six months, and they complied."

The couple first met in December 2022 on the UK set of Wicked, where Grande, stars as Glinda, the good witch, alongside Slater who portrays Boq, a lovestruck munchkin. 

At the time, she was still married to Dalton Gomez. She later filed for divorce in September 2023, citing February 20, 2023, as the official date of separation.

Just three days after announcing her split, Grande confirmed her budding romance with Slater, which quickly sparked public scrutiny.

Slater, who married his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay in 2018 and welcomed their first child in 2022, was also navigating a marriage when he joined the Wicked cast. 

He filed for divorce in July 2023, citing irreconcilable differences and requesting joint custody of their son. 

Jay later made headlines herself, publicly criticizing Grande, claiming the singer saw her family as "collateral damage" and accusing her of being "not a girl's girl."