Ethan Slater "tries not to tell stories" about his son.

The Wicked: For Good actor has a three-year-old boy with ex-wife Lilly Jay and he is keen to keep the youngster out of the spotlight and away from prying eyes until the child himself is ready to "let the world meet him".

Speaking on The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi podcast, he said: "I try not to tell stories about my son because I want to let him meet the world and let the world meet him on his own terms. So I don't tell stories or anecdotes."

However, Ethan - who is in a relationship with Ariana Grande - reflected on discussing his Jewish faith with his son and sharing an "interesting experience" with him during Hanukkah.

He added: "I will just say that having that moment of lighting candles [on the menorah] with him and talking about what it means to be Jewish has been a really interesting experience.

"And so, I'm grateful for that in a sea of not being grateful for a lot of other things. I've been finding some hope in that."

The Broadway star's comments echo remarks he has made in the past about maintaining his son's privacy.

Speaking to GQ magazine in October 2024, he said: "[Being a dad is] the best thing in the world.

"It's been an interesting thing to navigate as a new parent. There's nothing I want to do more than just show you pictures and talk about him because he's the best and the light of my life.

"But I also want to give him the opportunity to meet the world on his own terms… to meet the world in an analog way and not through my words."

Meanwhile, Ethan recently admitted he struggles to answer text messages because he has a "fear of being misunderstood".

He told FAULT magazine: "I have a lot of faults. I'm not good at responding to text messages.

"It can make it seem like I don't care about people I love, but it's really about overwhelm. I struggle separating the anxiety of everything coming through my phone from the messages that genuinely matter.

"I definitely have a fear of being misunderstood, and that feeds into it. I feel frequently misunderstood, but you know, that is what it is."

Ethan has noticed a change in recent months as his fame has risen, following his role as Boq Woodsman/ Tin Man in Wicked and Wicked: For Good.

He's also had TV parts this year in the likes of Elsbeth and Gen V, as well as continuing his theatre career.

He added: "What's been rewarding over the past six months is that as more projects have come out, people are seeing more than just Boq.

"I don't think I'm that recognisable, I'm pretty niche, but the more people see the different roles, the more they remember I'm playing characters.

"It feels like the roles are moving to the forefront and Ethan is receding a little, which is nice. I feel lucky to be doing more things."