Ariana Grande Seemingly Addressed the Backlash Over Her Relationship With Ethan Slater on Instagram

Ariana Grande is reflecting on her "challenging" past year with a candid end-of-year message to fans. On Friday, the singer posted an Instagram Story, detailing both the good and the bad of 2023 — while also seemingly addressing the public scrutiny she faced for her relationship with her Wicked costar Ethan Slater. 

Without directly mentioning her romance with Slater, the infidelity rumors, or her divorce from Dalton Gomez, Ariana not-so-subtly hinted at the drama in her note, writing in part: “I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don't know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life. I have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other.”

She continued, "I am reacting to things that deserve my energy only and removing and protecting myself from things that do not."

Ariana then concluded her note by wishing her followers a "very happy, healthy new year," adding: "If you ever feel misunderstood or alone, just remember that it will pass and you are not." 

News of Grande and Slater's relationship first broke back in July — just a few days after it was reported that she and Gomez had separated months earlier. The situation was made more scandalous by the fact that Slater's wife, Lily, was reportedly blindsided when the actor officially filed for divorce from her a week later. 

A source at Us Weekly added more fuel to the fire by alleging that Grande and Slater "weren't careful" about keeping their romance a secret while filming Wicked. “They’d hold hands on set in between takes. They were sloppy and not hiding it," the insider said. “Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce. Lilly never saw it coming!”

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