In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Ariana Grande said of her boyfriend and Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, “There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls*** tabloid can rewrite in real life.” Now it’s Slater’s turn to return the compliment — while complaining about said tabloids.

Speaking to GQ, Slater raves about Ariana’s acting ability, saying, “My unbiased opinion is that she’s one of the best comedians that’s been in a movie in a long time. She’s a genius.”

“I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this,” he adds. “She’s poured herself into it. I’m really proud that I got to be there for that part of it, and I’m really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did.”

Asked by GQ for his thoughts on Ariana’s song “Imperfect for You” reportedly being about him, he says, “She’s such an amazing performer, 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. I love that song.” He doesn’t confirm the subject, however.

Of course, Slater’s relationship with Ariana came amid tabloid headlines claiming — erroneously, they both say — that he’d left his wife and child for her. Slater tells GQ, “There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, 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.”

“So just to address that part of it, that feels really hard.”

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