Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Wife Of SpongeBob Voice Actor Hilariously Clarifies That Her Husband Is Not Dating Ariana Grande

Ethan Slater; Ariana Grande; Tom Kenny
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Lucille Lortel Theatre, Steve Granitz/WireImage, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Jill Talley set the record straight that Grande is NOT dating her husband, Tom Kenny, who voices the beloved animated character after rumors swirled about her romance with actor Ethan Slater.

Make us preferred on Google

The wife of Tom Kenny, the actor known for voicing the titular character of the SpongeBob SquarePants animated TV series, clarified that her husband was not dating pop artist Ariana Grande.

The gossip ran last week that Grande was dating Ethan Slater–who co-stars with the “Thank U, Next” singer in the upcoming movie adaptation of a wickedly popular Broadway musical.


This followed reports of Grande splitting from her former husband, real estate agent Dalton Gomez.

Slater is a Tony nominee who was recognized for his performance as SpongeBob in the eponymous stage musical that opened on Broadway in December 2017.

On Friday, The Cut ran with this headline.

"Is Ariana Grande dating SpongeBob now?"

Social media users were confused after reading the headline.

It left them wondering which SpongeBob Grande was allegedly hooking up with.

@thecut/Instagram


@thecut/Instagram

@thecut/Instagram


@thecut/Instagram

To quash the rumor once and for all, Jill Tally–wife of the actor who voices the SpongeBob animated character–responded on Instagram with:

“Hi everyone, I’m married to Tom Kenny."
"He is not dating Ariana Grande."

She continued sharing her two cents on the confusing rumor.

"I don’t know if Ethan Slater is or isn’t dating Ariana Grande."
"However, they’re both adorable and I totally ship it."
“Just wanted to set the record straight."

Tally concluded with:

"P.S. as for me and Tom Kenny—we are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary today ❤️.”

@the_real_jill_talley/Instagram

With the mystery solved, people can now get a good night's sleep.



Kenny, who is 61, has a lot of pride in having voiced the character of SpongeBob for over 20 years and does not shy away from requests to voice the character when approached by fans.

He once said:

“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.

Others thought the answer was always clear.

Not to be judgy buuuut...

Sources confirmed to People magazine Grande started dating the stage performer for SpongeBob—Ethan Slater—following Grande's split from Dalton Gomez.

One source said:

“Ariana and Dalton separated in January."
"She and Ethan recently began dating."

The insider also noted Slater was separated from his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay.

Slater and Jay began dating in 2012 and tied the knot in 2018.

They share a son born in 2022.

More from Trending

Montana Jordan and Emily Osment
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

'Young Sheldon' Star Explains Why She Asked For An Intimacy Coordinator On The Show—And It Makes Sense

Entertainment journalist and Glamour magazine Senior West Coast Editor Jessica Radloff's new book, Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy, shared a story about actor Emily Osment joining the show in its fifth season that's drawing praise for her consideration for her fellow child star, Montana Jordan.

Osment, who began acting at age five, is one of a rare breed in Hollywood—a child star turned successful adult actor. It's a journey many kids have infamously stumbled on, but that Jordan has also successfully navigated perhaps in part thanks to Osment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Participants at the meeting of the furry scene Eurofurence in the Hotel Estrel in Berlin, Germany
Jens Kalaene/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Texas GOP's Bizarre Text Warning Voters About 'Weirdo Furry Socialists' Sparks Mockery

A Texas political action committee sparked online mockery after multiple people independently told the San Antonio Current they received a text message urging Texans to vote Republican to keep so-called "furry Socialists" from choosing their leaders.

The message was sent Saturday alongside a photo purportedly showing a man wearing a fox-tail accessory as he left a polling location in Collin County. The message identified its sender as Texans for Common Sense, a political action committee funded entirely by Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, a far-right organization backed by West Texas oil billionaire Tim Dunn.

Keep ReadingShow less
Norwegian national flag on flagpole; Donald Trump
Patrick Pleul/Picture Alliance via Getty Images; Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images

Norway Has Pointed Response After Trump Calls Them A 'Sh*thouse Country' For Not Giving Him Nobel Prize

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide responded after President Donald Trump slammed Norway as a "sh*thouse country" for once again passing him over for the Nobel Peace Prize.

This year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navanetham Pillay, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who holds the distinction of being the first non-white female judge of the High Court of South Africa. Pillay received the honor "for her efforts to promote peace and international law."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nicki Minaj
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Nicki Minaj Is Now Being Floated As A Possible White House Press Secretary—And It's Beyond Parody

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung had critics rolling their eyes after he shared a video of himself with rapper Nicki Minaj and floated her as the next press secretary.

Cheung's post comes as the White House continues to hunt for a replacement for Katie Zacharia, who was fired after just five days on the job.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexander Skarsgård attends the Los Angeles premiere of Black Bear's "Wicker" at Directors Guild Of America.
Maya Dehlin/WireImage

Alexander Skarsgård's Unexpected Confession About Finding The Grinch Hot Sparks Hilarious Reactions

Some people want a man who's tall, dark, and handsome. Alexander Skarsgård prefers green, hairy, and someone who hates Christmas with a passion.

It all went down during a Bustle interview promoting Wicker, when Skarsgård and co-star Olivia Colman got into a “hear me out” discussion that took an unexpectedly naughty turn.

Keep ReadingShow less