Jill Talley - the wife of original SpongeBob SquarePants voice actor Tom Kenny - has been forced to explain that Ariana Grande is not dating her husband.
The pop star is actually rumored to be seeing Ethan Slater, 31, who portrayed SpongeBob in The SpongeBob Musical on Broadway, not the voice actor, 61.
Quite the mix up.
Last week Grande, 30, split from her husband, Dalton Gomez, 27, and a source told People Magazine that the pair were currently on track to get divorced after having separated earlier this year.
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As Grande is currently tied to filming the screen adaptation of Wicked in England, sources have now allegedly confirmed that she is now dating her co-star, Slater.
“Ariana and Dalton separated in January,” said one source. “She and Ethan recently began dating, and he is separated from his wife.”
Slater married his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, in November 2018, and welcomed their first son into the world in 2022.
It is not known when he and his wife of five years split.
While fans are up in arms regarding the dating rumors, some have been shocked to discover that Grande’s new beau once portrayed the beloved cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants, on Broadway.
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One user wrote: “What do you mean Ariana Grande is dating the guy who played SpongeBob in the musical what?”
Another said: “Ariana Grande is dating SpongeBob SquarePants. What timeline am I in bro.”
Now, it seems that the wife of original SpongeBob SquarePants voice actor Tom Kenny is having to explain that her husband is indeed taken.
Talley, 60, replied to a post shared by The Cut on Thursday (20 July) that read: "Is Ariana Grande Dating Spongebob Now?"
She wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm married to Tom Kenny (who voices SpongeBob on the TV show).
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"He is not dating Ariana Grande.
"I don't know if Ethan Slater (who played SpongeBob in the musical) is or isn't dating Ariana Grande.
"However, they're both adorable and I totally ship it."
Also commenting on the post, one fan added: "Y’all chill he played spongebob in spongebob the musical."
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"I think he was actually SpongeBob in SpongeBob: The Musical," a second person said.
Slater reportedly set his Instagram account to private on Thursday amid the rise in publicity.
Both Grande and Slater are yet to comment.
UNILAD has contacted Ariana Grande's representatives for comment.
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Slater's contact information was unavailable on his website at the time of writing.
Topics: Ariana Grande, Sex and Relationships, Celebrity