Frankie Grande Raves Over Ariana’s Wicked Performance, Her ‘Sweet’ Boyfriend Ethan Slater

While attending the Gurus Magazine’s #30Voices30Days launch party in Los Angeles, the Broadway star and magazine cover star told TooFab exclusively that Slater is a “sweet guy”.

“I love him, he’s a very sweet guy. I’ve been a fan of him ever since seeing him in SpongeBob [the musical],” the Big Brother alum began. “And I got to interview him when I was doing the SpongeBob SquarePants podcast. And the Broadway community is a tight-knit family.”

While Ariana and Ethan, who both star in Wicked, have yet to officially comment on their relationship, the two have been linked since early 2023.

“He’s a great guy. Ethan’s a wonderful guy,” Grande continued, adding that his sister’s happiness is paramount.

“He’s very sweet. He’s very very very sweet. I just, I adore him. I, honestly I’ve always just said this, all I want is for my sister to be happy and when she’s happy I’m happy. So I’m very happy,” he said.

The 41-year-old recalled the moment Ariana told him she had been cast as Glinda the Good Witch in the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical, describing the moment “as dramatic as ever.”

“We were messes when she told us,” he remembered. “She actually came to see me in a show and she pulled me aside and told me and both of us hit the ground, on the floor, weeping. Like it was as dramatic as ever as you could possibly imagine.”

“It was a beautiful moment and all of the moments since then, you know, have just been absolutely magical, magical! No pun intended,” he added.

Frankie had a chance to visit his sister on set of the upcoming film — and was lucky enough to watch Ariana and Cynthia Erivo, who’s playing Elphaba, film the musical’s iconic song, “Defying Gravity.”

“I was on set. I got to go visit my sister and Cynthia, I was there when they shot “Defying Gravity” which was so incredible,” Grande said, oozing pride for his sister in her “dream role.”

“I mean, getting to see my little sister, who I have been her number one fan and cheerleader for her whole entire life, do her dream role on that level and be so good at it, I was a mess. I was weeping and you know, I wept through the trailer, I still cry when the trailer comes on,” he continued.

And while he doesn’t want to jinx Ariana ahead of awards season, he told TooFab he does believe “she deserves” an Oscar nomination.

Wicked: Part One hits theaters November 27, 2024.