Milo Manheim Reveals Why Ethan Slater Left Him More Starstruck Than Ariana Grande (Exclusive)
- - - Milo Manheim Reveals Why Ethan Slater Left Him More Starstruck Than Ariana Grande (Exclusive)
Angel SaundersJuly 11, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Ivan Apfel/Getty; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty; Kevin Winter/Getty
(L-R) Milo Manheim, Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande
Milo Manheim tells PEOPLE why he was starstruck when meeting Ethan Slater
The Spongebob star attended the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, which Manheim starred in
“I’m so happy you asked this question because the answer was Ethan,” the Zombies actor said
Milo Manheim is a huge fan of Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande, but it was the former who left him more starstruck.
In an exclusive episode of this week’s PEOPLE in 10, the 24-year-old Zombies actor and executive producer gushed over what it was like meeting the couple and Wicked costars.
Manheim recently finished his Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors run in New York City with costar Liz Gillies, and two people who took time out to see and support the show were Slater, 33, and Grande, 32.
Vincenzo Dimino
(L-R) Milo Manheim, Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande backstage at 'Little Shop of Horrors'
The “Popular” singer and Gillies, 31, costarred in Victorious for four seasons beginning in 2010 and have remained close throughout the years.
And when asked which movie star he was more excited to see out of Slater and Grande, Manheim was thrilled to share his answer.
“Okay, I’m so happy you asked this question because the answer was Ethan,” he confessed of which A-lister left him starstruck.
Manheim explained, “Because when they walked in it was kinda funny. I was like, ‘Hi Ariana, nice to meet you. Ethan, my brotha! What’s up?' ”
The star went on to reenact the moment, with him seeming to be more reserved as he greeted the “Side to Side” singer, and overly formal with the SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! alum.
“‘Cause I saw him as Spongebob, I love that guy,” Manheim told PEOPLE. “And also I think that, I dunno, Liz has talked to me about Ari for so long that it was just like, I felt like I was meeting one of Liz’s old friends and Ethan Slater, you know what I mean?”
A huge grin flashed across his face as he talked about his run-in with the Broadway star.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards
Manheim previously told PEOPLE why it made sense that Grande and Gillies were such good friends.
“They're both such sweeties,” he said at the Disney 2025 Upfronts in New York City in May. “I mean, I've spent so much time with Liz and she's like family now at this point. We've been through so much together. I've learned so much from her, and the more I get to know her, the more incredible I think she is.”
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“Ariana came to see the show,” he added, noting, “It makes such sense that they are friends. They're both such kind souls, both such theater girlies. Like it was, it was really nice to see Ariana there supporting Liz, and I could see them just being like little girls again enjoying being in the theater.”
Grande and Slater met on the set of Wicked in 2022, and the costars developed a romance offscreen. PEOPLE confirmed their relationship in July 2023, after Grande’s separation from her then-husband, Dalton Gomez, and Slater’s separation from his then-wife, Lilly Jay.
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