Ariana Grande was charged at by an overenthusiastic fan while walking the red carpet at the Singapore premiere of her new film "Wicked: For Good" on Thursday. Grande's co-star Cynthia Erivo quickly jumped in, moving protectively in front of her as the man rushed toward them. However, there was not much that she could do.
In multiple viral videos circulating on social media, Grande, 32, is seen walking the red carpet at Universal Studios with her "Wicked: For Good" co-stars Erivo, 38, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum when a man suddenly runs toward them and grabs her in wraps his arm around her as the actress struggles to get away.
Out of the Blue
Grande, who plays Glinda in "Wicked: For Good," appeared shocked as she tried to pull away from the overenthusiastic fan, who was smiling and cheering while grabbing her. Erivo immediately stepped in, putting herself between Grande and the man to protect her, as security rushed in to remove him.
Yeoh, 63, was also seen comforting Grande afterward. The "7 Rings" singer looked visibly shaken following the encounter.
The man who ran toward her was later identified as Johnson Wen, a social media personality known online as "Pyjama Man."
He posted a video of the incident on his own Instagram account, which has around 9,000 followers, writing, "@arianagrande @wickedmovie Dear Ariana Grande, thank you for letting me jump on the yellow carpet with you ❤️."
Afterward, Wen shared another clip on his Instagram Stories, saying, "I'm free after being arrested," while wearing a shirt that read "Jesus."
Wen is notorious for causing chaos at celebrity events, having previously stormed the stage during concerts by Katy Perry and The Weeknd. He was even arrested after the incident at Perry's show in Australia back in June.
Totally Unexpected
After his latest stunt with Grande, fans flooded the comments section of his video, slamming him for his reckless behavior and calling the incident unacceptable. "You literally assaulted her. this isn't a flex, it's a crime. shame on you!" one fan wrote.
"After all the trauma Ari has been through, this is beyond disrespectful," another fanwrote.
"Are you happy now? Does it bring you joy to disturb celebrities? That's sad," someone else said.
"Nobody is ok with your actions. you're literally harassing her. this is NOT OK," a third person shared.
"The arianators are going to find you TRUST," a different comment read, referring to Grande's loyal fanbase.
Back in 2017, a bombing at Grande's concert in Manchester, England, left 22 people dead and more than 1,000 others wounded. The incident deeply affected Grande, and she has since spoken openly about struggling with PTSD in the aftermath.
"It's hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss," she told Vogue UK in July 2018.
"But, yeah, it's a real thing. I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn't even be talking about my own experience — like I shouldn't even say anything."
"I don't think I'll ever know how to talk about it and not cry," the "Into You" singer added.
Grande is reprising her role as Glinda in the upcoming "Wicked" sequel. Both she and Erivo received their first-ever Academy Award nominations for their performances in director Jon M. Chu's first "Wicked" film.
