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Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater: ‘Excited’ About Their Relationship

Author Laila Abuelhawa
Ariana Grande speaks onstage at Billboard Women In Music 2018 on December 6, 2018 in New York City. Ethan Slater attends the 37th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards at NYU Skirball Center on May 01, 2022 in New York City.

Despite simultaneously going through divorces, the romance between Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater has been going well since it was revealed in July. A source tells ET that the Wicked co-stars are “on the same page” and “still very excited about their relationship.” The “God Is A Woman” singer, 30, thinks Slater, 31, is “ridiculously talented, likes that they can relate to each other and that he challenges her, artistically speaking,” the source adds. “Ethan wants the best for Ariana and for themselves as a couple. They support and elevate one another.”

Slater officially filed for divorce from his estranged wife, Lily Jay, on July 26. No specific reason for the divorce was released, according to documents obtained by gossip website TMZ. Slater married Jay, his former high school classmate, in 2018. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, last year. The news of the divorce filing came shortly after Grande and her ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, had separated after two years of marriage.

As for Grande, she and Gomez settled their divorce earlier this month. The couple had a prenup in place, according to TMZ, so Gomez is getting a payout with no spousal support. He will receive $1,250,000 tax-free and half of the net proceeds from the sale of his and Grande’s LA home. Additionally, Grande will pay up to $25,000 of Gomez’s attorney’s fees. In her divorce filing, she cited “irreconcilable differences” and listed February 20 as her and Gomez’s date of separation.

RELATED: Ariana Grande’s New Boyfriend’s Wife Says Family Is Torn Apart

The source tells ET that Slater is “invested in developing his relationship with Ariana and her family” as he continues to be “a hands-on dad.” According to the insider, Ariana’s family is protective of her, but as long as “she is happy and treated well, they will continue to support their relationship.” Last month, the new couple was spotted at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Trying to keep a low profile, the two sported black hoodies and baseball hats. However, eagle-eyed fans reported the sighting to DeuxMoi, who published photos on social media.

Production of Wicked has come to a halt amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, so Slater is back home in New York City. He has been cast in the upcoming Broadway revival of Spamalot. Slater’s role as The Historian/Prince Herbert will mark his first return to the stage since starring in the SpongeBob Squarepants Broadway musical in 2017, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

Musicians Who Have Been In Animated Films

Have you ever watched an animated movie and couldn’t figure out who the voice actor was? If the voice sounded familiar to you and you still couldn’t place a face to the voice, it may be because it was by someone you’re used to hearing sing. Over the years, musicians have signed up to voice roles for animated films. Taylor Swift was in The Lorax, Rihanna was in Home, Katy Perry was in Smurfs, Beyoncé was in Epic, Selena Gomez was in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, and Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez were both in Ice Age. Animation houses DreamWorks, Illumination, Pixar and Disney Animation Studios feature at least one cameo from a star musician.

In some films, musicians explore how good their voice-acting chops are, while others contribute to the project by working on an animated film’s soundtrack. For example, one of Justin Timberlake‘s best-charting songs, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” was written for Trolls 2, in which he also starred, and took home the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2017. Now, *NSYNC is going to be featured in the upcoming Trolls Band Together with their first song in two decades. The song, titled “Better Place” is *NSYNC’s first new song since 2002. The pop group reunited for a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2013 and, in 2018, got together once again for their Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony. But this is their first new song.

Keep scrolling to see which of your favorite musicians have starred in an animated film below:

  • Miley Cyrus

    In 2008, Cyrus expanded her acting chops fresh from her Hannah Montana days when she voiced super-dog Bolt’s owner, Penny. John Travolta voices the super-dog, and though he’s an actor, he famously starred in musicals Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Hairspray.

  • Snoop Dogg, Madonna, and David Bowie

    In the 2006 fantasy adventure film based on the book of the same name starring Freddie Highmore and Mia Farrow, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, and David Bowie star as elves. Madonna plays Selenia, princess of a race of tiny beings, Snoop portrays Max, leader of the Koolamassai, and Bowie voices the antagonist, Emperor Maltazard.

  • will.i.am

    The Black Eyed Peas frontman stars as the smooth, alpha hippo named Moto Moto in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. When he meets Jada Pinkett Smith’s Gloria, he sings, “I like ’em big, I like ’em chunky.” The name is so nice, you say it twice. will.i.am also provided his voice for another animated film series, Rio and Rio 2 as a red canary named Pedro.

  • Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Lizzo, Bebe Rexha, Pitbull, Charlie XCX, Janelle Monáe, and Ice-T

    Uglyville is such an adorable town. And so many musicians have lent their voices in the 2019 animated film. Shelton stars as Ox, a green uglydoll and the Unofficial Mayor of Uglyville, mentor to all of the other Ugly Dolls and former friend of Lou. Clarkson is Moxy, a pink uglydoll with lots of confidence, hope, and curiosity. Jonas is Lou, the preppy leader from the town of Perfection and a bully towards the Ugly Dolls and the other imperfect dolls. Lizzo voices Lydia, a purple-haired perfect doll, Rexha is Tuesday, a blue-haired perfect doll, and Charlie XCX voices Kitty, a pink-haired perfect doll. The three of them make up the Spy Girls. Pitbull fittingly voices Ugly Dog, a one-eyed blue uglydoll, while Ice-T is hilariously Peggy, a small one-eyed flying unicorn. Monáe voices Mandy, a kindhearted perfect doll who wears glasses for eyesight problems and befriends the Ugly Dolls.

  • P!nk

    After Brittany Murphy’s death in 2009, Pink took over the role of Gloria in the sequel to 2006’s Happy Feet. In the jukebox musical, she sings “Bridge of Light” and “Under Pressure/Rhythm Nation.” Robin Williams starred in the sequel as Ramón and Lovelace, Mumble’s two friends and is also this film’s narrator, like the first film. This was Williams’ last animated feature before his death in 2014.

  • Kacey Musgraves

    The “Butterflies” singer made her venture into voice acting when she played Earwig’s mother in the English dub of Earwig and the Witch by Studio Ghibli. She puts on an English accent for the English dub, and we even got the chance to hear Musgraves sing the movie’s big song, “Don’t Disturb Me.”

  • Katy Perry

    In the first and second installments of The Smurfs films, Perry starred as Smurfette. She once described her character’s voice as being “like my voice and a bag of rocks, with a pinch of sugar.” When she was growing up, her conservative parents didn’t allow her to watch the television show. “My mom thought that Smurfette was a little bit slutty, being the only female in the village,” she explained to MTV in 2010. She was replaced by Demi Lovato in the third Smurfs feature film, Smurfs: The Lost Village.

  • Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Queen Latifah, and Drake

    Queen Latifah reprised her role as the wooly mammoth Ellie, while newcomers to the Ice Age franchise Nicki Minaj and Drake starred as teenage mammoths Steffie and Ethan, respectively. Lopez starred as Shira, an ex-pirate saber-toothed tiger.

  • Taylor Swift

    Before Taylor Swift starred in the Cats live-action film, one of her earliest film roles was voicing Audrey in the Dr. Seuss animated adaptation of The Lorax. High School Musical alum Zac Efron joins her as Ted, who is in search of a real tree in a town where they are all extinct.

  • Beyoncé, Pitbull, and Steven Tyler

    In the 2013 animated film taking place in an enchanted woodland run by leaf people and talking slugs, Bey voices Queen Tara, while Mr. Worldwide plays an entrepreneurial toad named Bufo. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler voices a glow-worm named Nim Galuu.

  • Selena Gomez

    Selena Gomez first began voicing vampire heroine Mavis Dracula in 2012, when the first of four Hotel Transylvania films came out. She wrapped up the franchise ten years later, releasing the final chapter, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, in 2022.

  • Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez

    Rih Rih stars as Gratuity “Tip” Tucci and also created the soundtrack for DreamWorks’ 2015 animated film Home. Jennifer Lopez voices Tip’s mom, Lucy, her first collaboration with director Tim Johnson since her previous role as Azteca in the 1998 DreamWorks film, Antz.

  • Dolly Parton

    Dolly Parton’s first experience voice acting was when she played herself in a 1983 episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks. She then played herself once more in a 1999 episode of The Simpsons. Her first voice acting role was in 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet as Dolly Gnome, the announcer for the lawn mower race.

  • Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani

    Timberlake stars in the Trolls film franchise as the overly cautious, friendly troll Branch. He also helped produce the film’s soundtrack. Stefani voices DJ Suki, a Troll who uses DJ equipment made of insects.

  • Shakira

    Shakira voiced, Gazelle, a famous singer in the Zootopia world. So, not a huge stretch! The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer also contributed an original song called “Try Everything” to the film.

  • Halsey and Bono

    In the second installment of the Sing franchise, Halsey joined Tori Kelly, providing her voice acting for a wolf named Porsha Crystal. Bono also made a cameo in the film. He plays an ex-rockstar lion named Clay Calloway.

  • Shawn Mendes

    Shawn Mendes stars as the title character in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. His character overcomes his fears through the power of friendship and embraces his gifts as a talented reptilian rockstar.

Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.

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Author Laila Abuelhawa
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