Lilly Jay has been spotted out for the first time since breaking her silence about her ex-husband Ethan Slater’s romance with his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande.
The clinical psychologist, 32 – who also shares a two-year-old son with the Broadway star – went for a chilly walk in the snowy New Jersey neighborhood while pushing his toddler in a stroller.
In an essay published in The Cut on Thursday, Jay also opened up emotionally about their divorce and the ‘public breakdown of her marriage’.
She wrote about moving herself and her then two-month-old boy to London while Slater was filming Wicked – before he dumped her for Grande after they met on the set of the film.
Lilly went on to address how she never expected a divorce after marrying her high school sweetheart — but emphasized that both she and her ex are focused on positively co-parenting their son.
During her latest outing ahead of the Christmas holidays, Jay was seen donning a pair of dark gray leggings as well as a gray puffer coat.
Lilly Jay, 32, has been seen for the first time since breaking her silence about her ex-husband Ethan Slater’s romance with his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande
The clinical psychologist – who also shares a two-year-old son with the Broadway star – went for a chilly walk in a snowy New Jersey neighborhood while pushing his toddler in a stroller
She slipped on a pair of black boots as she strolled along the snow-covered pavements and pulled her locks into a simple bun at the back of her head.
Jay later added a pair of thick gloves to her hands to help keep her warm in the cold, winter temperatures.
Slater’s ex-wife was also joined by her father as the trio ran a few errands, such as going for a warm drink from a local cafe.
They also stopped by the barber’s because her son had a quick haircut, and later they picked up a few things from the supermarket.
Lilly’s recent outing comes just two days after she broke her silence on her public split from ex-husband Ethan Slater in a lengthy essay published in The Cut.
Both she and Slater were married for five years and welcomed their son into the world in August 2022. However, the divorce was finalized three months earlier in September.
Grande was also married to Dalton Gomez for two years until their divorce was finalized in March of this year.
‘I confidently moved to another country with my two-month-old baby and my wife to support his career. Overwhelmed by the magic and mundanity of new motherhood, I didn’t understand the growing distance between us,’ Jay wrote.
In an essay published for The Cut on Thursday, Jay also opened up emotionally about their divorce and the ‘public demise of her marriage’
She wrote about moving herself and her then two-month-old boy to London while Slater was filming Wicked – before he dumped her for Grande after they met on the set of the film
During her latest outing ahead of the Christmas holidays, Jay was seen donning a pair of dark gray leggings as well as a gray puffer coat
Jay later added a pair of thick gloves to her hands to help keep her warm in the cold, winter temperatures
Slater’s ex-wife was also joined by her father as the trio ran a few errands, such as going for a hot drink from a local cafe
They also stopped by the barber’s because her son had a quick haircut, and later they picked up a few things from the supermarket
She expressed that ‘the days when I can’t escape the promotion of a film associated with the saddest days of my life are darker’ as she tries to ‘come to terms with the sudden public demise of my marriage.’
‘No one gets married expecting to get divorced, the same way we don’t get on a plane expecting it to crash.’
Lilly then seemingly mentioned Ethan and Ariana with, ‘I really never thought I’d get a divorce.’
‘Especially not just after I gave birth to my first child, and especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity.’
‘In this season of shock and grief, more than a year after the end of my marriage was made public, I deeply miss the life of invisibility I created for myself as a psychologist specializing in women’s mental health.’
Jay then stated that her ‘partnership’ with Ethan had ‘changed’ and their ‘parenting didn’t’ while raising their son.
‘We both love our son passionately 100 per cent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided.’
Lilly went on to talk about motherhood after her divorce, writing: ‘Days with my son are sunny. I’ve learned that motherhood fills your time, but not your mind.’
‘In the countless hours I spend rocking my son to sleep, pushing his pram, admiring his sweaty little hands grasping a crayon, I am diligently working on my private project of coming to terms with the sudden public demise of my marriage.’
“Nobody gets married thinking they’re going to get divorced, the same way we don’t get on a plane expecting it to crash,” added Lilly.
‘I really never thought I’d get a divorce.’ “Especially not right after I gave birth to my first child, and especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity,” she seemingly wrote of Ethan and Ariana
‘This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide,’ the psychologist continued in the essay.
Jay later got candid with readers about dealing with postpartum depression after welcoming her son and in the midst of a split.
Lilly said she was ‘fearful that losing control and postpartum depression would destroy her ‘entire adult life’.
She also wrote about how the split affected her work and reflected on the ‘injustice of a public divorce’.
‘Slowly but surely, I came to believe that in the absence of the life I had planned with my high school sweetheart, a life full of love awaited me and my child.’
You know how a sponge absorbs liquid most effectively when it’s already a little wet? Perhaps we can think of my messy not-so-personal life that way: a dose of my own loss, anger, helplessness, sadness that helps me hold onto yours.’
While pregnant with her son, Jay wrote that she had ‘never felt happier or more aware of how precarious happiness can be’.
Lilly also revealed: ‘I survived pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening birth complication, and finally our family was whole. My story of care is in the wrong direction.’
Jay then stated that her ‘partnership changed’ with Ethan and their ‘parenting didn’t’ while raising their son’; seen in 2018
After Lilly’s essay was published, a source told DailyMail.com that both Slater and Grande were ‘relieved’ she hadn’t ‘thrown them under the bus.’
‘Ethan and Ariana are fully aware of what happened, as is everyone who was around at the time. (Lilly) made it clear that she moved to London with him and the timeline from that point onwards speaks for itself.’
The insider added: ‘Filming was still going on when they were first seen getting intimate in the photos and Lilly wasn’t there anymore so people can put two and two together – Lilly shouldn’t have.’
Jay and Slater’s divorce agreement prevented her from ‘revealing certain details about the events that transpired’ in relation to the divorce, but she was still able to share ‘her emotions about the ordeal.’
‘During the court proceedings, Lilly was essentially silenced, unable to speak freely. Despite the circumstances, she emerged victorious from the divorce.’
The source went on to share Jay showed ‘dignity’ by not speaking publicly about the ‘affair’.
‘She knows that one day her son will read about this on the internet and she wanted him to read that her first and only words about it were spoken in a respectful and classy way.’
After Lilly’s essay was published, a source told DailyMail.com that both Slater and Grande were ‘relieved’ she hadn’t ‘thrown them under the bus’
‘During the court proceedings, Lilly was essentially silenced, unable to speak freely. Despite the circumstances, she emerged victorious from the divorce,’ said the insider; the former couple seen in 2018 in New York
As for the ‘sponge’ analogy in the essay, the insider stated that it was about her ex. In particular, he played the character of Spongebob on Broadway.
‘The ‘sponge’ analogy was a subtle jab at the situation, but now that her story is out, she feels liberated.’
“Although almost all the media approached her, Lilly did not want to give an interview until she was ready. She wanted to control her own narrative and tell her story on her terms. And she did just that.’
Following the essay, Ethan was also slammed by fans on social media for his ‘deeply disappointing treatment’ of Lilly.
Following the essay, fans took to social media to criticize Ethan for his ‘deeply disappointing treatment’ of Lilly
One was written on the X, ‘Ethan Slater IS a horrible person. I know why some of you are defending him and I’m sorry, but there is no man on earth, especially NOT one who is worth all this.’
Another added: ‘I didn’t know Lily Jay was a therapist… her article was so well written and Ethan Slater is trash and I hope Ariana wakes up and realizes that a man who leaves his wife after giving birth is not a person forever lol .’
‘Ethan Slater is the worst type of person. His relationship with Ariana will be over within a year I promise,’ wrote one, while a fan wrote that the actor was ‘truly a horrible person for what he put his ex-wife through.’
‘Ethan Slater’s actions are deeply disappointing and disrespectful to his wife, especially after all she’s been through,’ said another.
