Ariana Grande spoke out against the media and sensational tabloids in a new Vanity Fair cover story published on September 30. The singer slammed tabloid coverage of her and her boyfriend Ethan Slates, whom she started dating last year after both the stars separated from their spouses.
When their relationship became public, tabloids and media houses published stories allegedly insinuating that the two began dating before separating from their spouses. Ariana and Ethan will be seen together in the new Wicked movie, and she shared her predicament, saying,
"Ofcourse, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of movie. A lot of people that were working on it did. We were away for two years. So, of course, I understand why it was a field day for the tabloids to sort of create something that paid their bills."
While looking back on media coverage of her personal life since she was 19, Ariana said,
"I will never let disreputable evil tabloids ruin my life or my perception of what is real and good."
Ariana Grande defends her boyfriend, Ethan Slater
When she began filming Wicked, Ariana Grande was still with her husband, Dalton Gomez; however, soon after, reports claimed that the singer was dating Slater. It didn't help when Ethan's ex-spouse, Lilly Jay, told Page Six in July 2023 that Ariana is not a girl's girl and noted,
"My family is just collateral damage...the story is her and Dalton."
Ethan and Jay have a son together. While responding to media outrage and the perception of Slater leaving his wife and child to be with Ariana, the pop star defended him in the latest cover story, saying,
"The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it. There couldn't be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him. No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner for the people he loves and cares about."
Ariana Grande also highlighted the difference in how the audience responds and sees a male actor compared to a female actor. Her character, Glinda's voice in the movie, has often been trolled by netizens on social media. Ariana responded that people would have reacted differently if a male actor had been in her position. She said, "Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role," and noted that actresses are "under a microscope in a way that some people aren't."