Ariana Grande Admits It's 'Frustrating' That the Public Has a 'Misunderstanding' About Her Relationship With Ethan Slater

Ariana Grande is trying to break free from the negative rumors surrounding her romance with boyfriend Ethan Slater.

While appearing on the Monday, February 26, episode of the "Zach Sang Show" podcast, the singer indirectly discussed how the public's perception of their relationship took a toll on her.

"I feel like we don’t need to go into any specifics, but, of course, there’s like an insatiable frustration, inexplicable, h----- feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love and you and anything," explained Grande, 30, who was first linked to Slater, 31, last summer.

At the time, the Grammy nominee was fresh off her separation from Dalton Gomez, and it was claimed that Slater, her Wicked costar, was in the process of splitting from his wife and the mother of his child, Lilly Jay.

However, due to the timing and secret nature of Slater's breakup, many believed the broadway star cheated on Jay.

Jay's sister added fuel to the fire by telling a news outlet this past summer, "[Ariana’s] the story, really. Not a girl’s girl. My family is just collateral damage."

Just two months before Slater and the Victorious alum's relationship was exposed, all seemed OK in the actor's marriage, as he gushed over his wife on Mother's Day.

By that October, the Wicked costars were reportedly living together in NYC.

"They’re really happy and really good for each other," an insider claimed of the pair, adding that Grande's friends "love" her beau.

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While Grande has settled her divorce from Gomez — whom she wed in 2021 — the dad-of-one is still in mediation with his estranged wife. However, that hasn't stopped the pair from taking their romance more public, as the Scream Queens actress has been seen attending Slater's Spamalot performances on Broadway.

After months of drama and backlash from fans — as some dubbed the r.e.m. beauty founder a homewrecker — the Florida native reflected on her chaotic 2023 in a social media upload.

"One of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life. There were so many beautiful yet polarized feelings," she shared. "I've never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. I've never felt more fulfilled by or present in my work, being able to cherish every moment."

"I've never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don't know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life," the vocalist continued. "I have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other," Grande continued. "I have never felt more tightly held or fiercely protected by those who love and understand me (friends, family, and fans alike)."