Ethan Slater has restarted the rumor mill with regards to the state of his relationship with his girlfriend and Wicked co-star Ariana Grande.
The romance began as an on-set affair during the shoot of their two-part film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, the second half of which bows this Friday.
They were plunged into scandal on account of the fact Slater was married to his now ex-wife Lilly Jay, who shares a three-year-old son with him.
In recent months, Slater, 33, and Grande, 32, were trailed by breakup speculation, inasmuch as they were not been seen together from April until this month.
This Monday they appeared to quash the conjecture by posing side by side in cast group shots at the New York City premiere of Wicked: For Good.
However Slater kicked up another dust-cloud of rumors by uncomfortably dodging a question about his relationship with Grande on the Today show.
When he was asked about the experience of 'working with your girlfriend everyday,' Slater sidestepped the subject and instead spoke in vague terms about how 'incredible' the 'entire cast' of his movie is.
Slater did call Grande 'brilliant' but also hailed her co-star Cynthia Erivo as 'remarkable,' rhapsodizing that seeing them both act 'from such a high level up close' was a 'pretty special' experience for him.
A source recently insisted that Slater and Grande are 'still together' despite the couple keeping their distance at last week's Wicked: For Good premiere in London.
They were said to have met up following the red carpet and screening.
An insider said: 'Ariana and Ethan are still a couple but they've seen the chatter online and it's not been easy.
'They were both at the Leicester Square premiere and the after-party at Brasserie Zedel but made sure they weren't seen together.'
The source continued to tell The Sun how they are both reluctant for their relationship to play out in public.
They added: 'When Ariana left the after-party, she went back to her hotel suite.
'Not long after, Ethan was taken there and went up to see Ariana to spend time with her.'
This Monday they appeared to quash the conjecture by posing side by side in cast group shots at the New York City premiere of Wicked: For Good.
The Daily Mail contacted representatives for Ariana and Ethan at that time.
Then this Monday, Grande and Slater were seen posing side by side in group shots at the New York City premiere of their new film.
Last month the Daily Mail told how Grande and Slater's plans for a wedding were put on hold, and while they haven't been pictured together since April, sources claimed they've been 'on and off' for several months.
When news of their romance broke in July 2023, Grande had just split from her husband Dalton Gomez, while Slater was still married to Lilly Jay with whom he shared a then one-year-old son.
That November, claims surfaced that the duo had taken their relationship to the next level, with Grande said to be living with the Spongebob Squarepants actor in New York City, during his turn in Broadway musical Spamalot.
When their relationship first went public, Grande and Slater were plunged into scandal on account of the fact Slater was married to his now ex-wife Lilly Jay (left)
Months later a furor broke out over the release of her singles Yes, and? and The Boy Is Mine.
Yes, and? appears to take aim at the hate she received over their romance and in The Boy Is Mine she also sings about a man she shouldn't date because she 'don't wanna cause no scene' as she is 'usually so unproblematic'.
Critics have been feeding on signs their romance is not built to last and have long speculated that they have in fact silently split.
Many have suggested they will not make it known until after Wicked: For Good premieres and the hype dies down so as not to overshadow the release and the run up to the 2026 awards season.
Sources previously told the Daily Mail that Grande's career and level of fame has been another obstacle - Slater himself described her fans as 'ferocious' and 'intense' in a recent interview.