Ariana Grande has a new tattoo — and it commemorates one of her biggest projects to date.
Grande, 30, discussed her latest ink in an interview with Allure published on Monday, August 21. “This one I knew I wanted to get for a very long time,” she explained. “It’s [an illustration of] Glinda from the original L. Frank Baum book [The Wizard of Oz]. I waited forever to fill up this hand. And I thought, ‘I’m gonna wait for the right thing to come along,’ and yeah, that felt very right.”
Grande is playing Galinda — later Glinda the Good Witch — in the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked (which was in turn adapted from Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name). The film’s first part is set to hit theaters on November 27, 2024. Grande stars opposite Cynthia Erivo, who will appear as Elphaba Thropp, otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked musical fans have been anticipating a movie version for years, but the adaptation has recently been making headlines for the cast’s offscreen behavior. Us Weekly confirmed in July that Grande is dating her costar Ethan Slater following her split from husband Dalton Gomez. Slater, 31, plays a Munchkin named Boq in the film.
“Ariana and Ethan are dating; however things are fairly new. Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife,” an insider told Us last month. “Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other but they have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other’s company.”
Grande and Gomez, 28, tied the knot in May 2021 after just over one year of dating. Last month, an insider told Us that Gomez is still holding out hope for a reconciliation with his estranged wife.
“Although Dalton knows Ariana has moved on with Ethan, he still hasn’t given up hope that they can make things work,” the source explained. “On one hand, Dalton wants to give Ariana her space, but on the other, he’s been trying to remain in contact with her.”
Slater, for his part, filed for divorce from wife Lilly Jay on July 26. The reason for the duo’s split was not listed on the paperwork. The former couple welcomed a son in August 2022.
While some sources told Us there was no overlap between the two relationships, another insider said that Grande and Slater’s inner circles advised them to “be respectful” about being seen together.
“Ariana’s been told it’s too soon to go public with him and to take things slower,” the source exclusively told Us earlier this month. “She’s very aware of how she’s perceived by her fans, and she’s trying to be mature. [But] if it were up to her, she’d be seen with him tomorrow.”
