SpongeBob Actor Tom Kenny Jokes He’s in a Throuple With Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater

Ariana Grande’s love life caused a stir in Bikini Bottom.

No one knows that better than Tom Kenny, the voice behind Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants for the past 25 years, who had a humorous reaction to being confused with his Broadway counterpart Ethan Slater when news of Ariana and Ethan’s relationship surfaced last year.

“That was hilarious,” Tom exclusively told E! News Oct. 7 at The Krabby Patty Kollab, an event that brought SpongeBob SquarePants’ iconic Krabby Patty into the real world in celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary.  “It said ‘SpongeBob actor dating Ariana Grande.’ And people were like, ‘Wow, Tom Kenny, he’s a player.’”

Fortunately, his wife Jill Talley took it all in stride, clarifying at the time that her husband “is not dating Ariana Grande,” but added that Ari and Ethan are “both adorable and I totally ship it.” As for how Tom, 62, responded to the dating ordeal? He had some fun with the news. 

“I was like, ‘How did they find out?’” Tom joked to E!. “Ariana and I have been trying to keep a lid on this explosive secret. Ariana and I didn't want Ethan to find out. Then he did and it was just a whole big ugly mess. But now we’re a throuple. So, it's awesome.”

All jokes aside, the voice actor of almost three decades reflected fondly on the friendship he formed with Ethan while the 32-year-old prepared for his Tony-nominated portrayal of the Krabby Patty fry cook.

“I know Ethan well,” Tom shared. “When he was training for the part, he came to Nickelodeon and we got to know him during the process and I saw the show when it was in previews in Chicago.”

And when it came to imparting the wisdom he’s earned from his quarter-century “friendship” with SpongeBob, Tom said Ethan didn’t need any advice.

“He just knew exactly what to do,” Tom explained. “SpongeBob was a part of his formative stages. So he had his own definitive take as far as SpongeBob's physicality and all that, which he had to do live on a stage. That was crazy and he was able to do that because he's a very athletic person. He can sing and he's very athletic.”

“I haven't seen him in a bit,” Tom added, “but, I wish him and [Ariana] well.”