Man who grabbed Ariana Grande at Wicked sequel premiere charged | Wicked: For Good
A court in Singapore has charged a man who kidnapped Ariana Grande at the premiere of her movie Wicked: For Good on Thursday night with being a public nuisance.
Video footage shows Johnson Wen jumping over a barricade at Universal Studios Singapore and running towards Grande on the red carpet. Grande’s co-star Cynthia Erivo immediately stepped in to help protect her, and Wen was removed.
Wen, 26, plans to plead guilty and could be fined up to S$2,000 (£1,168), according to local media reports.
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Wen regularly posts on Instagram in pajamas, in which her commercial presence invades concert stages, including those of Katy Perry and the Weeknd. Footage of his approach to Grande sparked significant backlash, with many commentators calling his actions criminal.
Grande and her co-stars will soon wrap up their massive promotional tour for the film’s sequel, which will be released on November 21. The review embargo lifts on Tuesday, and early reactions have suggested repeat Oscar nominations are likely for the two stars.
Red carpet invasions are becoming increasingly rare as security has been tightened in recent years. In 2007, podcaster Cielke Sijben handcuffed herself to Hugh Grant at the premiere of her romantic comedy Music and Lyrics. Fire crews later released the couple.
Bradley Cooper was greeted on the red carpet in 2014 by a Ukrainian TV prankster who buried his head in the actor’s pants after giving Will Smith an unwanted kiss at the Moscow premiere of Men in Black 3 in 2012. Also in 2012, Kim Kardashian was flour-bombed by a Peta activist who called her a “furry witch” at a red carpet event for her perfume launch.
