Wicked co-stars and off-screen couple Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater didn’t make their red carpet debut at the Oscars. But inside the ceremony, they had some tender moments in front of cameras. The couple was photographed hugging during the Oscars and generally keeping close. Grande stared adoringly at him during one point:
Neither went to the Oscar after-parties.
Grande and Slater’s Oscars PDA comes one week after they were photographed being cuddly at the SAG Awards.
This is a big night for Grande especially, who is celebrating her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. This is also Slater’s first time at the Oscars, as Wicked is up for Best Picture.
When the Academy Award nominations were announced, Slater marked his girlfriend’s milestone online, sharing an Instagram Story and post in her honor.
Slater was effusive in his praise of Grande’s portrayal of Glinda. He told GQ in October, “I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this. She’s poured herself into it. I’m really proud that I got to be there for that part of it, and I’m really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did.”
He also addressed her comedic talent, saying, “Ari’s Ari, and she’s amazing. She’s a comedian who’s also got this crazy voice that can do anything. My unbiased opinion is that she’s one of the best comedians that’s been in a movie in a long time. She’s a genius.”
Grande, meanwhile, called Slater “amazing” in a February interview. In September, she had told Vanity Fair, “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this earth with a better heart.”
