Man who grabbed Ariana Grande in Singapore charged by police

A man who broke through barricades at the Wicked: For Good premiere and kidnapped actress Ariana Grande has been accused of being a public nuisance.

In a now-viral video, Australian man Johnson Wen is seen charging past photographers and charging at Grande as the players make their way down the yellow carpet surrounded by fans. Co-star Cynthia Erivo was seen pulling the stunned actor away from Mr. Wen.

The 26-year-old actor wrote on Instagram late Thursday that he was “released after being arrested.”

But on Friday afternoon he was charged with public nuisance by a Singapore court. The incident sparked outrage in Singapore.

Local media reports say Mr. Wen, who is unrepresented, intends to plead guilty.

It is not the first time that Mr. Wen, who describes himself as the “Most Hated Troll”, has invaded a concert or event.

His Instagram feed includes clips of him busting out other celebrity activities, including jumping on stage at Katy Perry’s Sydney concert in June this year. He did the same thing at The Chainsmokers’ concert last December.

If convicted, he could be fined up to S$2000 ($1540; £1170).

Supporters had previously called for his arrest and deportation.

“Action needs to be taken [taken] “It is against him since this is clearly a criminal offense,” one Instagram user wrote in a comment on a video Mr. Wen posted of his action.

“Wow, you do this so often…how are you not in jail?” wrote one Instagram user.

Some accused Wen of “re-traumatizing” Grande, who said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following a suicide bomb attack at the end of her Manchester concert in May 2017 that killed 22 people and injured hundreds more.

“Ariana has been through a lot of terrible things… and you thought it would be fun to jump the barricade at a Manchester concert?” said another comment on Instagram.

Some fans criticized security guards at Thursday’s event for not being careful enough; Others called on social media platforms to ban Mr. Wen’s videos.

In clips circulating online, Grande looked shocked when she was caught by the intruder. As Mr. Wen is led away by security, his co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be seen comforting him.

Grande did not comment on the incident and the rest of the event proceeded normally.

The BBC has contacted Singapore police and immigration for comment.

Hundreds of fans gathered in a sea of ​​green and pink at the Wicked: For Good Asia-Pacific premiere at a Singapore mall; including some who waited in line for as long as eight hours before starting.

The film, which will be released on November 21, is the second of the two-part adaptation of Broadway and West End’s popular musical Wicked, and is about the unusual friendship of two very different witches.

The musical is a spin-off of the 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Grande, who played the good witch Glinda, was decked out in a champagne pink sequined dress at the premiere, while Erivo, who played the evil witch, wore a black tube decorated with roses.

They were joined by co-star Jeff Goldblum, who plays the wizard.

The first film, Wicked, became the highest-grossing film of 2024 in the UK and received 10 Oscar nominations, winning two awards for best costume and production design.