Everyone from Britney Spears to Michael J. Fox have borne the brunt of Eminem’s wrath, but Em is sparing Taylor Swift. The once ruthless rapper has a soft spot for the country crooner.

At one point in his career, Eminem may have targeted Swift in one of his songs, but the “Not Afraid” MC is taking a different stance when asked about his thoughts on Kanye West’s VMA debacle. “He shouldn’t have done that,” the father told SPIN of Kanye’s outburst. “I mean, she’s a little girl.”

Eminem is raising his three daughters who are not too far in age from Swift. He remains very protective of them, telling the magazine, “The less that’s out there about the kids, the more chance of them having a normal life. I want the world to know how much I love them, but at the same time you gotta know when to pull back.”

His biological daughter Hailie, a prominent subject in his songs, is now 14 and Em is very conscious of what he reveals about her. “It’s a catch-22: I want to, as a father, express my love for my girls, but I don’t want to go too far with it, where it becomes a hindrance in their lives. When they were younger, it didn’t matter, it was easier.”