After news broke that Ariana Grande was getting divorced and had started dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, rumors swirled that she’d broken up his marriage. The two are still together, but those rumors aren’t true, a source tells People.

“While this entire situation has been blown out of proportion, it’s much different than what has been portrayed in public,” a friend of the couple tells People. “They are just trying to navigate their new relationship in private.”

Meanwhile, a close family friend says that “people have questioned the timeline, the truth is, Ariana and Ethan didn’t begin seeing each other until after both parties were separated, respectfully.” Ariana was previously married to Dalton Gomez; Ethan split from his wife, Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a son.

“They are doing their best to balance the fact that they are in the public eye with the desire to be respectful to all parties involved,” another source says, while a pal notes, “Ethan’s priority will always be to co-parent his son.”

Ariana stars as Glinda in the upcoming Wicked musical movie, while Slater plays Boq. It’s not clear if the movie is still on target to open in November 2024.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.