Wife of SpongeBob star Tom Kenny speaks out after Ariana Grande split sparks dating rumours

Two SpongeBobs, one Grande.

It appears Ariana Grande’s latest reported love interest has created some confusion.

With rumours that the singer has set her eyes upon fellow star Ethan Slater – an actor who played SpongeBob’s character in the live-action musical – it has resulted in a bizarre case of mistaken identity.

After an Instagram post made by The Cut posed the question “Is Ariana Grande Dating SpongeBob Now?”, many wrongly assumed the reference to SpongeBob was about Tom Kenney – the actor who has been the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants for over 20 years on Nickelodeon.

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After seeing the post, Kenny’s wife Jill Talley was quick to clear up rumours.

“Hi everyone, I’m married to Tom Kenny (who voices SpongeBob on the TV show),” she commented 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.”

The actress went on to note that herself and Tom Kenny were celebrating their 27th wedding anniversary.

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Rumours of Slater and Grande’s romance emerged after a source told Us Weekly that the pair were dating.

“Ariana and Ethan are dating; however things are fairly new,” the source claimed to the outlet. “Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife.”

“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,” the insider added.

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The news comes less than a week after Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez were revealed to be splitting.

Sources close to the couple cited Grande’s Wicked filming schedule in London as a major source of problems as well as Gomez’s alleged inability to accept the star’s mega celebrity status.

“She was happy in Los Angeles for a couple of years. She wanted to make a life there with Dalton,” a source divulged to People.

“He is super focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles. It’s definitely been an issue for them. Dalton’s career is demanding and he can’t leave Los Angeles often. So when Grande started filming Wicked in England, they were in for a long-distance marriage.”

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Celebrity breakups, splits and divorces of 2023