Wicked co-stars and offscreen couple Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater posed separately on the Critics Choice Awards red carpet. But inside the ceremony, it was a different story. Shortly after the show started, the pair was photographed talking to each other at their table. Grande appeared to have her hand on Slater’s back. See the pic above.
Slater spoke to Extra on the red carpet about the connection Grande had with her co-star Cynthia Erivo on Wicked. “They’re really supportive of each other,” he said. “That supporting love that you see between the two of them, I think that radiated out and on set they took care of each other, they took care of everyone.”
He also addressed rumors of Grande and Erivo opening the Oscars with a Wicked medley. “I don’t know,” he said of whether the news was true. “That sounds great, I really hope so!”
Grande and Slater have never posed on a red carpet as a couple. However, they haven’t hidden their relationship at events—including tonight’s ceremony.
Grande is nominated for Best Supporting Actress tonight for her work as Glinda in Wicked. She also has a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, Grande’s first Academy Awards nod. Slater shared an Instagram tribute to his partner when the happy news was announced.
While their remarks on their romance have been limited, Grande spoke adoringly about Slater to Vanity Fair in September. “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,” she said. “There is no one on this earth with a better heart.”
