Ariana Grande has come under fire from those close to Ethan Slater’s estranged wife Lilly Jay, who accused the singer of failing to exhibit any ‘remorse’ over her controversial relationship with the theatre star in her new single, Yes, And?
The 30-year-old star made headlines last year when it was revealed that she was dating her Wicked co-star Ethan, just days after news of her split from ex-husband Dalton Gomez, 28, broke.
Eyebrows were raised further when it was discovered that Ethan, 31, had also ended his marriage with his high school sweetheart Lilly, with whom he shares a young son.
Following months of ‘homewrecker’ allegations, Ariana hit back in her new single, which includes the lyrics: ‘Your business is yours, and mine is mine/ Why do you care so much whose d*** I ride?’
A source close to Lilly, 29, slammed the singer for her ‘disrespectful’ attitude and accused her of a complete lack of ’empathy.’
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Ariana Grande has come under fire from those close to Ethan Slater’s ex Lilly Jay for failing to exhibit any remorse for her relationship with the theater star in her new single, Yes, And?
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Ethan ended his marriage to Lilly Jay, his high school sweetheart and the mother of young son, shortly before his relationship with Ariana was made public
‘For her to take the opportunity in her first song since all of this went down to show a complete lack of remorse for her actions is utterly disrespectful,’ the insider raged.
‘Ariana is dating a man who is still married. She is flaunting her relationship with a married man – a married man who has a one-year-old child at home with his still wife.
‘Yes, Ariana has destroyed a home and she does not seem to care.’
The source ripped into the singer for failing to take the time to exhibit growth and humility amid the widespread criticism she has faced for her new relationship.
‘She lacks empathy,’ they continued. ‘Ariana could have taken this opportunity to create music that would be therapeutic for her to heal and for fans to listen to.
‘She could have taken this time to create art that would help those who were hurt to heal. But she didn’t. She created art that basically says, “f*** you I don’t care what I did to hurt anyone because I am happy.”‘
A source close to Ariana hit back at the accusations, claiming the song does not ‘address anyone specific.’
‘The song clearly does not address anyone specific or any one specific instance,’ they told DailyMail.com. ‘Ariana has been the subject of public scrutiny for over a decade.
‘If you watch the video, the people she’s performing to are literally played by critics. The lyrics and the video are really quite clear.’
They continued: ‘It is a song about not judging each other or a situation by hearsay and about how you never know what people are going through or healing from.’
The pop singer dropped her first single since 2021 on Friday, and seemingly took the opportunity to fire back at the criticism she’s faced over her love life in the past year.
Ariana Grande releases Instagram teaser for new music video
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Following months of ‘homewrecker’ allegations, Ariana hit back in her new single, in which she sings: ‘Your business is yours, and mine is mine/ Why do you care so much whose d*** I ride?’
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A source close to Lilly, 29, slammed the singer for her ‘disrespectful’ attitude
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Music lovers were equally as shocked by the singer’s decision to take such a defiant approach about the controversial relationship
Repeatedly asking, ‘Yes, and?’ she urges listeners to reflect on why they feel compelled to comment on her life.
In another line she sings: ‘Now I’m so done with caring what you think, no I won’t hide underneath your own projections or change my most authentic life.’
Fans also expressed disappointment at the lyrics, with one Reddit user writing: ‘yes (I stole your husband and destroyed your family) and (I’m gonna pretend like it was no big deal)’.
Another added of Ethan: ‘Your child never sees you and your ex is primarily taking care of him. Yes, and?’
One fan was simply confused by the singer’s approach to the recent controversy and wrote: ‘Who thought this was a good idea? Why did not one stop and go “…actually considering the recent discourse maybe we shouldn’t do this?”’
‘Oh this is tasteless,’ one fan commented, while another agreed and stated: ‘This is tacky as hell.’
The defiant number comes after it was reported that Ariana and Ethan had taken their relationship to the next level in November, with the Dangerous Woman singer now living with the actor in New York City, during his turn in Spamalot.
The pair first met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the smash-hit Broadway musical Wicked, in which Ariana plays Glinda – the good witch – alongside Ethan as munchkin Boq.
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Ethan and Lilly Jay – who married five years ago after meeting in 2012 – welcomed a son in August 2022
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Ariana privately married Dalton Gomez in May 2021 before their unexpected split was revealed in July last year
He cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of their baby son.
Lilly has since damned Ariana in a series of disparaging interviews, telling Page Six the songstress is ‘not a girl’s girl’ and adding blisteringly that ‘my family is just collateral damage’ to her.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, the estranged spouse of the Broadway star then stated that she is determined to move on with her life as a single mother, without her ex.
Her admission came as a source close to Ariana and Ethan claimed that the singer ‘hung out’ with Lilly and her newborn baby multiple times before her romance with her costar was revealed – and reportedly even told those around her how much she ‘wanted a baby one day’ after bonding with Lilly and Ethan’s son.
Though Ariana and Ethan have always insisted their relationship started after splitting from their respective partners, fans were quick to cast doubt over Ariana’s claim that her marriage ended in February last year.
Her own social media activity raised suspicion, with the singer sharing a loving tribute to her husband on May 15 – three months after the February 20 separation date stated in her divorce documents.
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Ariana announced her split from Dalton, just days before it was revealed she had started a romance with her Wicked costar Ethan
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Fans have questioned the relationship timeline since Ariana and Dalton had seemed more in love than ever when Ariana marked their two-year anniversary just weeks before on Instagram
Days before the official date of their split, both Ariana and Dalton shared loving Valentine’s Day messages to one another, and sources told DailyMail.com that Dalton traveled to London to visit Ariana on the set of Wicked several times after February – where they even went on double dates with Ethan and Lilly.
A source close to the popstar insisted that the only reason the pair shared tributes to one another online prior to announcing their split was so that they could keep the news of their impending divorce under wraps while they dealt with it behind closed doors.
In April, a source close to the couple claimed that they were ‘very in love’ despite the long distance between them while Ariana filmed in the UK.
In fact, the pair seemed stronger than ever when they marked their two-year anniversary on May 15.
The former Nickelodeon star’s camp has repeatedly denied claims that she and Ethan began their romance before she and Dalton had split, insisting that they did not start dating until after she had ended her marriage.
Yes, and? serves as the lead track for Ariana’s seventh studio album, which she started hinting at in late December.
Meanwhile, Wicked is expected to hit theaters in November.
