Lilly Jay was seen for the first time since breaking silence on her ex-husband Ethan Slater’s romance with his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande.
The clinical psychologist, 32 – who also shares a two-year-old son with the Broadway star – stepped out for a chilly stroll in a snowy neighborhood in New Jersey while pushing their little one in a stroller.
In the essay published for The Cut on Thursday, Jay also emotionally opened up about their divorce and the ‘public downfall of her marriage.’
She penned about moving both herself and her then two-month-old 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 boy to London while Slater filmed Wicked – before he left her for Grande after they met on set of the movie.
Lilly further reflected on how she never expected to get a divorce after tying the knot with her high school sweetheart – but emphasized both she and her ex focus to positively co-parent their son.
During her latest outing ahead of the Christmas holiday, Jay was seen bundling up in a pair of dark gray leggings as well as a gray puffer coat.
She slipped into a pair of black boots while walking along the snow-covered sidewalks, and pulled back her locks into a simple bun at the back of her head.
Jay later added a pair of thick gloves to her hands to help her stay warm in the cold, winter temperatures.
Slater’s ex-wife was also joined by her father as the trio ran a few errands, such as grabbing a warm drink from a local coffee shop.
They also stopped by a barber as her son got a quick trim, and later picked up a few items from a supermarket.
Lilly’s recent outing comes only two days after she broke her silence on her public separation from ex-husband Ethan Slater in a lengthy essay published for The Cut.
Both she and Slater had been married for five years and welcomed their 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 boy to the world in August 2022. However, the divorce was finalized three months earlier in September.
Grande was also previously married to Dalton Gomez for two years until their divorce was finalized in March of this year.
‘I confidently moved to another country with my 2-month-old 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 and my husband to support his career. Consumed by the magic and mundanity of new motherhood, I didn’t understand the growing distance between us,’ Jay wrote.
She expressed there are ‘days when I can’t escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker’ as she while trying to ‘accept the sudden public downfall of my marriage.’
‘No-one gets married thinking they’ll get divorced, in the same way we don’t board a plane expecting to crash.’
Lilly then seemingly referenced to Ethan and Ariana with, ‘I really never thought I would get divorced.’
‘Especially not just after giving 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to my first 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 and especially not in the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celebrity.’
‘In this season of shock and mourning, over a year after the end of my marriage was made public, I deeply miss the life of invisibility I created for myself as a psychologist specializing in women’s mental health.’
Jay then stated that her ‘partnership has changed’ with Ethan, their ‘parenthood has not’ while raising their son.
‘Both of us fiercely love our son 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided.’
Lilly further opened up about motherhood post-divorce and penned, ‘Days with my son are sunny. Motherhood, I have learned, fills your time but not your mind.’
‘In the countless hours I spend rocking my son to sleep, pushing his stroller, marveling at his sweaty little hands grasping a crayon, I work diligently on my private project of accepting the sudden public downfall of my marriage.’
‘This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide,’ the psychologist continued in the essay.
Jay later got candid with readers about dealing post-partum depression after welcoming her son and amid the split.
Lilly said that she ‘feared that loss of control and postpartum depression would destroy her ‘entire adult life.’
She also wrote about how the split affected her job and reflected on ‘the unfairness of a public divorce.’
‘Slowly but surely, I have come to believe that in the absence of the life I planned with my high-school sweetheart, a lifetime of sweetness is waiting for me and my 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥.’
‘You know how a sponge is most effective at absorbing liquid when it’s already a bit wet? Maybe we can think about my messy not-so-personal life in that way: a dose of my own loss, rage, powerlessness, sadness that helps me hold yours.’
While pregnant with her son, Jay penned that she ‘never felt happier nor more aware of how precarious happiness could be.’
Lilly also revealed, ‘I survived preeclampsia, a life-threatening 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 complication, and finally, our family was whole. Mine is a story of worrying in the wrong direction.’
After Lilly’s essay was published, a source told DailyMail.com that both Slater and Grande were ‘relieved’ she did not ‘throw them under the bus.’
‘Ethan and Ariana are fully aware of what happened, as is everyone who was around at the time. [Lilly] made it clear that she moved to London with him and the timeline from that point forward speaks for itself.’
The insider added, ‘Filming was still occurring when they were first seen being intimate in photos and Lilly was no longer there so people can put two and two together – Lilly didn’t need to.’
Jay and Slater’s divorce agreement prevented her from ‘disclosing certain details about the events that transpired’ in regards to the split, but she could still share ‘her emotions surrounding the ordeal.’
‘During the legal proceedings, Lilly was essentially silenced, unable to speak freely. Despite the circumstances, she came out of the divorce a winner.’
The source continued by sharing Jay showed ‘dignity’ by not publicly talking about ‘the affair.’
‘She knows that one day her son will read about this online and she wanted him to read that her first and only words on this were done so in a respectful and classy manner.’
In regards to the ‘sponge’ analogy in the essay, the insider stated that it had been a dig at her ex. He notably played the character of Spongebob on Broadway.
‘The ‘sponge’ analogy was a subtle jab at the situation, but now that her story is out, she feels liberated.’
‘Though she was approached by nearly every media outlet, Lilly didn’t want to give an interview until she was ready. She wanted to control her own narrative and tell her story on her terms. And she did just that.’
Following the essay, Ethan was also slammed by fans on social media over his ‘deeply disappointing treatment’ of Lilly.
One penned on X, ‘Ethan slater IS an horrible person idk why some of y’all defending him and im sorry but theres no man on earth, especially NOT that one who’s worth any of this.’
Another added, ‘Did not know lily jay was a therapist… her article is so well written and ethan slater is trash and i hope ariana wakes up and realizes that a man who leaves his post partum wife is not a forever kinda person lol.’
‘Ethan Slater is the worst type of person. His relationship with Ariana will be over within a year, promise,’ one wrote, while a fan typed that the actor, ‘is a truly horrible person for what he put his ex wife through.’
‘Ethan Slater’s actions are deeply disappointing and disrespectful to his wife, especially after all she’s been through,’ another expressed.