Ethan Slater’s ex-wife, Lilly Jay, is opening up on life after the “Wicked” star left her and abruptly began a new relationship with co-star Ariana Grande.
Jay, a licensed clinical psychologist, finalized her divorce from the Tony-nominated actor in September of last year, amid him going public with his co-star. The former couple, who were married in 2018 after dating in high school, share a 2-year-old son.
Jay broke her silence in a personal essay published Thursday by The Cut.
“Slowly but surely, I have come to believe that in the absence of the life I planned with my high-school sweetheart, a lifetime of sweetness is waiting for me and my child,” Jay wrote. “While our partnership has changed, our parenthood has not. Both of us fiercely love our son 100% of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided.”
Jay added that days with her son “are sunny” even when she “can’t escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life.”
But the Columbia and Long Island University alum revealed the high-profile split has taken a toll on her professionally.
“I can’t say for sure how much my career has been impacted by what’s out there online,” she wrote. “But there have been hints along the way, like the job offer that dissolved without explanation after yet another tabloid news cycle or the patient who’s scheduled for a first appointment but seemingly vanishes.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Jay recently began a job with Prospect Psychology in New York. She previously worked in perinatal care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“I loved my life working in a helping profession and being immersed in the details of other people’s stories rather than documenting my own narrative for public consumption,” the Maryland native reflected.
Jay’s essay comes after more than a year of silence on her public breakup from the Broadway star.
Slater first filed divorce documents in July 2023 amid a rumored romance with Grande, who split from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez, that very same month. The new couple reportedly met on the set of “Wicked,” though sources have insisted they were both separated from their respective spouses prior to embarking on their own romance.
Insiders previously told TMZ that Jay was devastated by the split and felt her husband had abandoned their family.