Ethan Slater facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ethan Slater
Born	Ethan Samuel Slater (1992-06-02) June 2, 1992 (age 33) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma mater	Vassar College (AB)
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	2012–present
Spouse(s)	Lilly Jay ​ ​ (m. 2018; div. 2024)​
Partner(s)	Ariana Grande (2023–present)
Children	1

Ethan Samuel Slater (born June 2, 1992) is an American actor and singer. He is well-known for playing SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical of the same name. For this role, he won a Drama Desk Award and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2018.

Ethan also had small parts in independent films. His first big movie role was as Boq Woodsman in the musical film Wicked (2024). He will play this role again in the sequel Wicked: For Good (2025).

Early Life and School

Ethan Samuel Slater was born on June 2, 1992, in Washington, D.C.. He is the third child of Jay Slater. His father worked for the Food and Drug Administration. Ethan is Jewish and grew up in the Conservative Jewish faith. He went to Ohr Kodesh in Silver Spring.

After attending Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, his family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland. Ethan's mother passed away when he was seven years old. He has said this was a very important event in his life. Even with few memories, she left a big mark on him.

Slater finished school at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C. He then studied drama at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. While in college, he tried out for a Shakespeare workshop. This led to an audition with director Tina Landau. Ethan graduated from Vassar in 2014 with a degree in Drama.

Career Highlights

Ethan Slater's first theater show was in July 2015. He played Luis in the musical Claudio Quest at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He was nominated for an award for his performance. Later that year, he acted in Please Excuse my Dear Aunt Sally. He also joined the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington. There, he acted in Barry Levinson's play Diner. During this time, he also appeared in short films like Lightning Bugs in a Jar.

Becoming SpongeBob

In 2016, Ethan Slater was chosen for the main role of SpongeBob SquarePants. This was for Kyle Jarrow's musical The SpongeBob Musical. The show was directed by Tina Landau and first opened in Chicago. The musical was very popular and got great reviews from critics.

Because of its success, the show moved to Broadway in New York. It played at the Palace Theatre from 2017 to 2018. For his amazing performance, Ethan was nominated for a Tony Award in 2018. He won the Outstanding Actor in a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards. He also won the Outer Critics Circle Awards and the Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut.

Other Roles

After his time as SpongeBob, Ethan appeared in several TV shows. These included Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In 2019, he was cast in a special theater show of Camelot in New York.

From 2021 to 2022, he starred in the musical Assassins. He played Lee Harvey Oswald and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Awards for his performance. He also played Max Weinbaum in the play Good Night, Oscar in Chicago. From 2023 to 2024, he was in the Broadway show Spamalot.

Ethan played Boq Woodsman in the two-part movie version of the musical Wicked. The first movie, Wicked, came out in 2024. He will be in the second movie, Wicked: For Good, which is expected in 2025.

Personal Life

Ethan Slater married his high school classmate, Lilly Jay, in 2018. Their son was born in August 2022. They separated in 2023, and their divorce was finalized in September 2024. Since 2023, Ethan has been in a relationship with singer Ariana Grande. They met while working on the movie Wicked.

Works

Film

Television

Web

Theatre

Music

Cast Recordings

Solo Music

Awards and Nominations