How Ariana Grande's Defense Of Ethan Slater In Yes, And? Totally Backfired

All of the drama surrounding Ariana Grande's romance with her "Wicked" costar Ethan Slater had fans scratching their heads from the start. Grande now famously called it quits with ex-husband Dalton Gomez in July 2023, and by October, the pair was officially divorced. Also in July, Slater filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay, when the former couple's only child was less than a year old. 

Since then, Grande and Slater have been in a relationship and haven't shied away from publicizing it. While they have denied that their working relationship turned romantic before they filed for divorce from their respective spouses, the timing has plenty of fans very suspicious. It seems that the public's mistrust of Grande mounted even more in the wake of her 2024 single, "Yes, And?" and its apparent references to her romance with Slater.

Despite the gossip and onslaught of internet hate surrounding Grande's romance with Slater and being photographed with him numerous times, she hasn't publicly addressed their relationship. For some, though, "Yes, And?" seems like Grande's response defending her actions, with lyrics as blatant as "Your business is yours, and mine is mine / Why do you care so much whose d**k I ride?" Many fans don't approve of the message.

At first, "Yes, And?" was a major success. On January 12, 2024, it debuted in the coveted number-one spot on the Global Spotify Chart. It also raked in more than 11 million streams on that first day. Since "Yes, And?" was the first solo music Grande released since her sixth album, "Positions," came out in 2020, the success was no surprise. 

However, for many, the real meaning behind Ariana Grande's "Yes, And?" is oh-so-obvious and somewhat sinister. The way the details of Grande's personal life color the lyrics of her song caused some fans to reject the single and the artist. According to SocialBlade, in January 2024, Grande lost nearly 370,000 followers on Instagram. 

Just on the surface, "yes, and" is a very common phrase used in improv theater, which may be a nod to Ethan Slater's theatrical roots. It also contains loaded lyrics like "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." It's easy to make connections between these words and Grande's relationship with Slater. However, the focus of Grande's possible lyrical statement about the situation revolves solely around her take on how her fans view her. Rather than addressing her relationship with Slater directly, explaining what went on, or putting folks' legitimate concerns about her actions at the center, she seems mostly interested in calling out fans for criticizing her. 

"Yes, And?" is a single from Ariana Grande's seventh studio album called "Eternal Sunshine." On February 5, 2024, Grande told fans on her Instagram story that this was the only single she'd release before the album's March 8, 2024 debut, noting, "I would really love for you to experience the album in full this time," per Billboard. 

Without digging into what else "Eternal Sunshine"' may have to say about her relationship, there are a few things to glean based on the album name. The title is inspired by the film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which Grande has said is one of her favorite movies. Fans speculate, though, that the album's "E.S." initials may also be a subtle nod to Ethan Slater.

In the meantime, fans also got a taste of another one of Grande's highly-anticipated upcoming projects. Grande met Slater on the set of the "Wicked" movie, and its first trailer aired during Super Bowl LVII. Amidst lots of internet feedback about the trailer, many folks heeded Grande's "Yes, And?" request to say things "with their chest." On a tweet with stills from the trailer, one comment read, "We don't care about that Ariana home wrecker." A comment on another tweet about Grande in the trailer joked, "she looks like she's trying to steal my boyfriend." It seems that time will tell whether or not the public forgives Grande for her love life enough to support her future projects.