Ariana Grande is addressing the controversy around her relationship with actor Ethan Slater. Grande garnered backlash when she went public with her romance with Slater, according to Page Six.
In her new song “Yes, And?” Grande is telling her haters to mind their own business. Lyrics in the song include, “Your business is yours, and mine is mine.” She also urged listeners to consider, “Why do you care so much whose — I ride?”
Due to censors, the four-letter word is obscure. However, based on the lyrics, the word is heavily implied to be male genitalia. Basically, Grande is telling her critics to stay out of her sex life.
For years, tabloids have made Grande and her romances the subject of a heated debate. Grande infamously dated Mac Miller before his death and became engaged briefly to comedian Pete Davidson.
Grande’s latest relationship came amid cheating allegations. Grande started dating Slater just days after she broke up with her husband Dalton Gomez. She and Gomez stayed married for two years.
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater
Grande met Slater while filming a film adaptation of the stage play Wicked. It became rumored that they were dating. Adding fuel to the controversy, Slater was married before his relationship with Grande. He sent his wife divorce papers at the same time it was announced that he was dating Grande.
Slater’s wife and high school sweetheart Lily reportedly felt blindsided by the news. The two share a 1-year-old son. On social media, Grande opened up about her relationship and living life in the limelight.
Grande said that she felt misunderstood and villainized by the media. She urged her followers not to try to piece together her private life.
“I have never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life,” she wrote on Instagram. However, she said that she felt protected by those around her.
She said, “I feel safe, even amidst so many things I’d usually be afraid of. I am listening to and trusting myself, even when fear or trauma tells me not to.”