Ariana Grande’s new single The Boy is Mine was a ‘slap in the face’ for her boyfriend Ethan Slater’s wife, according to insiders, who claim she believes the singer is ‘rubbing it in’ that she ‘stole him’ from her.
Broadway star Slater, 31, split from his former high school sweetheart Lilly Jay, with whom he has a one-year-old son, after striking up a controversial new romance with Grande, 30, while working on Wicked last year.
The pair were plagued with cheating allegations – something sources close to them vehemently denied – but Grande appears to have refueled speculation with her latest single, in which she sings: ‘Please know this ain’t what I planned for… Something about him is made for somebody like me.’
Taking aim at the track, a source close to Jay told DailyMail.com: ‘Ariana’s new album just shows what kind of woman she truly is. To sing a song called The Boy Is Mine is not only a slap in the face to his still wife Lilly, but a slap in the face to all women.
Ariana Grande appears to address her shock romance with Ethan Slater (pictured in December) on her new track The Boy is Mine
Slater, 31, filed for divorce from Lilly Jay (pictured) in July 2023 shortly before his relationship with Grande, 30, was made public
‘As Lilly said from the get-go, Ariana is not a girl’s girl and Ethan’s family is collateral damage. Ariana basically rubbed it in Lilly’s face that she stole Ethan from Lilly then asks her fans to not interpret her song the wrong way. This is not an interpretation. It is her literal words.’
Released on March 8, The Boy is Mine is the second single from her album Eternal Sunshine and sees her singing about a man she shouldn’t date because she ‘don’t wanna ’cause no scene’ as she is ‘usually so unproblematic.’
Other lyrics include: ‘The boy is mine/ I can’t wait to try him/ Le-let’s get intertwined/ The stars, they aligned.’
‘Ariana left nothing up to interpretation,’ the source continued. ‘She spelled it out and those close to Lilly believe she did this because she is upset that Ethan’s divorce is still dragging out.
‘She wants him all to herself and feels that – because he is still legally married – she cannot truly have him.’
They finished: ‘Everyone close to Lilly, and who knows Ethan, is just waiting for karma to slap him and Ariana in the face. It will come.’
Last week Grande described The Boy is Mine as a ‘bad girl anthem,’ telling Zane Lowe: ‘This is a very bad idea, I think, but there is a large group of my fans that really, they do love a bad girl anthem. And this is, I think, I kind of an elevated version of that.’
She was previously lambasted for her single Yes, And? which appears to take aim at the hate she received over her romance with Slater.
Grande described the track as a ‘bad girl anthem’ as she opened up about her new album Eternal Sunshine in a recent interview with Zane Lowe
Slater’s estranged wife Jay reportedly feels Grande’s new track is a ‘slap in the face’ to her and all women
Slater and Grande struck up a romance after meeting on the set of Wicked in which she plays Glinda the Good Witch and he plays a munchkin called Boq – pictured behind-the-scenes
Repeatedly asking, ‘Yes, and?’ she urges listeners to reflect on why they feel compelled to comment on her life.
Lyrics include: ‘Your business is yours, and mine is mine. Why do you care so much whose d*** I ride?’
In another line she sings: ‘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.’
Following the song’s release on January 12, a source close to Jay spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com and slammed the Dangerous Woman singer for her ‘disrespectful’ attitude.
‘For her to take the opportunity in her first song since all of this went down to show a complete lack of remorse for her actions is utterly disrespectful,’ the insider raged.
‘Ariana is dating a man who is still married. She is flaunting her relationship with a married man – a married man who has a one-year-old child at home with his still wife. Yes, Ariana has destroyed a home and she does not seem to care.’
Grande was previously lambasted for her single Yes, And? (pictured in the music video) which appears to take aim at the hate she received over her romance with Slater
Ariana privately married Dalton Gomez in May 2021 before their unexpected split was revealed in July 2023. Their divorce was finalized in October 2023
It was first reported in July last year that Grande and Slater were dating, just days after news of her split from ex-husband Dalton Gomez, 28, broke, and Slater filed for divorce from Jay.
The pair first met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the smash-hit musical, in which Grande plays Glinda – the good witch – alongside Slater as munchkin Boq.
In November 2023, it was reported that the duo had taken their relationship to the next level, with Grande said to be living with the actor in New York City, during his turn in Broadway musical Spamalot.
Jay was left heartbroken by the breakdown of her marriage and felt ‘betrayed’ by Grande who had spent time with herself and Slater while they were still together.
Slater and Jay are currently in the midst of finalizing their divorce. Grande and Gomez’s was finalized on October 6.
