After a root adjacent to the couple—who met connected the acceptable of Wicked—told E! News they had “recently” begun dating successful July 2023, Grande subtly supported Slater by “liking” a photograph announcing his relation successful Spamalot connected Broadway successful aboriginal September 2023. 

Later that aforesaid month, the 2 were seen retired unneurotic for the archetypal clip at, naturally, Grande’s favourite spot connected Earth, Disney World. In photos shared by TMZ, the duo walked astir the Florida taxable parkland arm-in-arm. 

A root adjacent to Grande and Slater told E! News aft the excursion, “they went with a large radical of friends including her ma and member and are truly blessed and truly bully for each other.”

The costars engaged successful immoderate subtle PDA astatine meal successful New York City successful photos obtained by TMZ. A fewer weeks later, Grande stepped retired to enactment Slater during previews of Spamalot connected Broadway wherever helium played The Historian/Prince Herbert. 

Grande was gleaming arsenic she made her mode retired of St. James Theater alongside friends, sporting a insubstantial crown from the amusement and clutching a Playbill. 

In a uncommon beingness update connected Instagram successful Dec. 2023, Grande showed disconnected immoderate of her vacation celebrating a photograph of a partition Christmas histrion with a Spam tin ornament. Fans rapidly pointed retired the transportation to Slater, arsenic Spamalot was moving connected Broadway astatine the time. 

On Dec. 23, 2023, the mates stepped retired with Grande’s begetter Ed Butera for meal successful New York City. 

That aforesaid month, Grande teased caller euphony and would spell connected to denote Eternal Sunshine successful aboriginal 2024. Although nary songs are explicitly astir Slater connected the album, fans pointed out that the album’s initials, E.S., coincidentally—or not—match the initials of Ariana’s boyfriend. 

In March 2024, Ariana and ex Dalton Gomez finalized their divorce. That summer, Grande’s member Frankie Grande gave her caller romance his stamp of approval. 

“I emotion him,” Frankie said of Slater successful a June 2024 interrogation with TooFab. “He’s a precise saccharine guy.”

A fewer days aft Frankie’s interrogation went live, Grande and Slater attended the 2024 Stanley Cup last successful Florida together—marking their astir nationalist associated outing since their romance debut. 

In an interrogation with Vanity Fair published successful Sept. 2024, Grande addressed her romance with Slater publically for the archetypal time—pushing backmost connected the  speculation of the couple's romanticist timeline overlapping with their erstwhile relationships. 

“It decidedly doesn’t get immoderate easier, seeing immoderate of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,” she told the outlet. “Of course, I went done a batch of beingness changes during the filming of this movie. A batch of radical that were moving connected it did.”

Grande went connected to support Slater against immoderate negativity thrown astatine him. 

“There couldn’t beryllium a little close depiction of a quality being than the 1 that the tabloids dispersed astir him,” Grande added. “No 1 connected this world tries harder oregon spreads themselves thinner to beryllium determination for the radical that helium loves and cares about. There is nary 1 connected this world with a amended heart, and that is thing that nary bullshit tabloid tin rewrite successful existent life.”

That aforesaid month, Slater finalized his divorcement with ex Lilly Jay—with whom helium shares a young son. 

A period aft helium showed enactment for Grande’s October 2024 Saturday Night Live hosting gig, Slater addressed their relationship—and the scrutiny surrounding it—for the archetypal time. 

“It was an astonishing twelvemonth and a truly beauteous thing,” Slater reflected connected falling successful emotion with Grande portion filming Wicked successful a Oct. 2024 GQ interview. “I’m conscionable truly excited. I’m conscionable really, truly arrogant of Ari and the enactment she’s done connected this. She’s poured herself into it.”

Still, Slater admitted helium recovered it hard to hold for radical to similar him again arsenic they clung to their papers and pens. 

“I deliberation determination was thing that was truly hard astir things successful your backstage beingness being commented connected and looked astatine by the public,” helium added. “There were a batch of large changes successful backstage lives that were truly happening, truthful it’s truly hard to spot radical who don’t cognize thing astir what’s happening commenting connected it.”

But helium was capable to artifact retired the sound somewhat. As helium added of Grande’s opus “Imperfect For You,” which is rumored to beryllium astir him, “I emotion that song.”