Wife of SpongeBob's Voice Actor Clarifies He's Not Dating Ariana Grande, Being Mistaken for Ethan Slater

There might be only one pineapple under the sea, but there are two SpongeBobs out there—and Ariana Grande is only dating one of them. 

Jill Talley, the wife of Tom Kenny, who has been voicing the cartoon sponge for over 20 years on Nickelodeon, had to set the record straight when some fans thought the pop singer was dating Jill's husband.

The confusion arose when The Cut posted a headline to Instagram on July 20 that read, "Is Ariana Grande Dating SpongeBob Now?" The SquarePants in question is actually Ethan Slater, Ariana's co-star in the upcoming Wicked film and the original SpongeBob in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical—a fact Jill was ready to clarify. 

"Hi everyone, I'm married to Tom Kenny (who voices SpongeBob on the TV show)," she wrote on the post, per People. "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. Just wanted to set the record straight."

And as it turns out, this nautical news was breaking on a special day for Jill and Tom—their anniversary. 

"PS: as for me and Tom Kenny," the voice actress added, alongside a red heart emoji, "we are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary today."

The news that Ariana and Ethan are dating came days after confirmation that the "7 Rings" singer and Dalton Gomez intended to divorce after two years of marriage. 

An insider confirmed to E! News on July 20 that the two Wicked actors have only recently begun dating, adding that Ariana and Dalton "remain friends."

The source also confirmed that Ethan—who earned a Tony nomination for his time as SpongeBob on Broadway—has separated from his wife of four years, Lilly Jay. The two share a son together, who they welcomed in 2022.

Ariana and Ethan have not yet publicly commented on their relationship status, and Ethan has since made his Instagram private while Ariana has deleted her wedding photos with Dalton.  

Months ahead of her new romance going public, Ariana penned a heartfelt message about how creating the musical remake has "healed" her. 

"Savoring every millisecond left with my Galinda (although she'll be with me irrevocably, forever)," Ariana she began the April 3 post, which was halfway through the filming process. "To be here in Oz where everyday is a life changing one... To be transforming and healing parts of me that i never knew needed it. or maybe did. I don't want it to end. so while i am still here, present, now, i just wanted to…. exclaim my tremendous gratitution! and allow my heart to overflow."

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