Ariana Grande and SpongeBob SquarePants.Photo:Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images; Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images; Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
No,Ariana Grandeisn’t romancing that cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants who lives in a pineapple under the sea.
The wife ofTom Kenny, the voice actor behind the beloved animated character, took to Instagram to clarify that the “Thank U, Next” singer was not dating her husband after news broke that Grande was in a relationship with herWickedmovie costarEthan Slater, who played SpongeBob in the 2017 Broadway musical adaptation of the series.
“He is not dating Ariana Grande,” Talley said, of Kenny. “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,” she added. “P.S. as for me and Tom Kenny — we are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary today ❤️.”
Jill Talley’s comment on Instagram.Jill Talley Instagram
Jill Talley Instagram
Kenny, 61, has voiced the iconic titular character in Nickelodeon’sSpongeBob SquarePantsfor over 20 years, including its movie spin-offs likeSponge on the Run. He previously told PEOPLE in 2020 that he doesn’t get sick of people asking him to do the SpongeBob voice as it’s something that is meaningful to him.
“I love the character, and after two decades of frying impressionable young minds, SpongeBob has been very impactful in folks’ lives. It’s always fun for the cast to watch people’s reactions when we do the voices ‘live’, or when we insert a fan’s name into a famous line from the show,” Kenny said.
Tom Kenny poses with a SpongeBob statue during a New York City screening of ‘The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie’.Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
On Thursday,sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Grande and Slater were datingafter hersplit from husbandDalton Gomez. “Ariana and Daltonseparated in January," one source said. “She and Ethan recently began dating.”
Reps for both stars have not returned multiple requests for comment.
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Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater.Art Streiber/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Eugene Gologursky/Getty
Art Streiber/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Eugene Gologursky/Getty
Grande is set to play Glinda in Universal’s film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, while Slater, will play Boq, the love interest of Elphaba’s sister Nessarose.
The stage musical is being split into two parts for its on-screen adaptation, the first — calledWicked: Part One —set to be released in late 2024.
“We were only a few days away from being done so we were SO close,” he wrote online. “It’s been very painful to put a halt to it all, but we will be back! And we will finish properly strong when the time is right.”
source: people.com
