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As fans wondered whether Ariana Grande’s song “Imperfect for You” was written about her boyfriend, Wicked costar Ethan Slater, the Broadway actor responded to the theory in a new interview.
By Will Reid Oct 30, 2024 6:51 PMTags
Ethan Slater Addresses His Relationship With Ariana Grande for the First Time
Ethan Slater is happy being Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine.
Amid speculation that Ariana wrote her recent song “Imperfect for You” about her romance with her Wicked costar, whom she met on set of the upcoming movie musical, the SpongeBob Musical alum was asked for his thoughts on the fan theory—though he didn’t exactly give a straight answer.
“She’s such an amazing performer,” the Broadway star told GQ in an interview published Oct. 30, “and I think everyone knows how good she is [as] a recording artist and all that—but I’m just really blown away by the songwriting.”
As for the track itself—off Ariana’s seventh studio album, eternal sunshine, which was released in March—Ethan gushed, “I love that song.”
News of their romance came shortly after E! News confirmed Ariana, 31, had split from ex-husband Dalton Gomez in July 2023. At the time, Ethan, 32, was also separated from his now-ex-wife Lilly Jay—with whom he shares a 2-year-old son—leading some to wonder about the timeline of the relationship.
“There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening,” Ethan explained, “so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love.”
Noam Galai/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards; Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Lucille Lortel Theatre
“But, of course,” the Tony nominee added, “it was an amazing year and a really beautiful thing, and I’m just really excited.”
Meanwhile, Ari also came to her boyfriend’s defense in a recent interview.
“No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,” the singer told Vanity Fair in September. “There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls--t tabloid can rewrite in real life.”
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