Man jailed in Singapore for grabbing Ariana Grande at ‘Wicked’ premiere
An Australian man has been sentenced to nine days in jail in Singapore after grabbing Ariana Grande during the Asia premiere of Wicked: For Good last Thursday.
Johnson Wen, 26, jumped a barrier and rushed at Grande, grabbing her shoulders as the visibly shocked star recoiled. Videos of the incident went viral, sparking widespread outrage in Singapore, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
Co-star Cynthia Erivo intervened, pulling Wen away before security removed him. Wen reportedly tried to jump the barricades a second time, but guards pinned him down.
Wen pleaded guilty to being a public nuisance. Prosecutors called him a “serial intruder” who disrupts events for online attention. He has previously stormed concerts by Katy Perry and The Weeknd, and even invaded sports pitches.
He faced up to three months in jail but received a nine-day sentence. Wen claimed in court he “would not do it again.”
Many accused Wen of retraumatising Grande, who has spoken about her PTSD after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 22 people during her concert.
Grande has not publicly commented, but continued appearing at events in Los Angeles over the weekend. Erivo later made a subtle reference to the incident, saying she and Grande had “come through some stuff... even this last week.”
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