Ariana Grande attended the 83rd Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, with Nikki Glaser hosting. While Grande was in the room as a nominee, her boyfriend, actor Ethan Slater, did not attend, which quickly became a side conversation online.
What is actually known is simple: Grande showed up, Slater did not, and there was no official statement from either of them explaining the choice. The rest comes from reporting and the pattern of how they have handled public events during this awards run.
The most straightforward reason: Slater was not nominated
The Golden Globes are not a “couples night” by default. Most attendees are there because they are nominated, presenting, performing, working the broadcast, or representing a project in an official capacity.
In the published nominations list, Grande was nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for Wicked: For Good, while Slater was not listed among the nominees. That does not mean he could not attend; it just means he had less professional incentive to be there.
Reporting points to privacy and keeping the focus on work
Multiple outlets framed Slater’s absence as consistent with how the couple has moved through big public moments: keeping their relationship low-profile and not turning red carpets into a relationship headline.
One report noted that Grande and Slater have avoided presenting themselves as a couple during recent Wicked: For Good promotion, and that his skipping the Globes fits that same approach. The same coverage also described him as having skipped other high-profile awards stops during the season.
Grande did not attend “solo” in the strict sense: she arrived with Doug Middlebrook
Grande was not walking the night alone. Reporting said she arrived with a close friend, Doug Middlebrook. Middlebrook has been publicly described as a longtime friend in earlier PEOPLE coverage as well, showing up in her circle at other events.
That matters because it reinforces the bigger point: her plus-one choice looked like a deliberate “keep it professional, keep it calm” move rather than a relationship signal.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there is no confirmed statement from Ariana Grande or Ethan Slater explaining why he skipped the 2026 Golden Globes. What reputable reporting does suggest is that it was not some dramatic snub.
Slater was not nominated, and the couple has consistently avoided turning major industry nights into relationship headlines. Grande still had support in the room and arrived with a close friend, which fits that same low-key approach. Until either of them addresses it directly, anything beyond that is just guessing.
