Supporters Demand Custody of Person Who Touched Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande at Wicked premiere
Ariana Grande visited Singapore for the regional launch of Wicked: For Good

Loyal fans of Ariana Grande are demanding that a man who jumped a barricade and seized the performer during Thursday's Wicked: For Good premiere be detained or deported from Singapore.

A viral clip depicts the person identified as Johnson Wen pushing past camera operators and lunging at Grande while the performers made its way down a promenade flanked by supporters.

Co-star Cynthia Erivo quickly pulled the shocked performer away from Mr Wen, who was spotted being removed of the premiere by event staff.

Mr Wen posted on Instagram recently that he was "free after being arrested", though court documents indicated that he was due to be present on the next day. It is not clear if he was faced legal action.

Record of Incidents

This is not an isolated incident for Mr Wen, who labels himself a "Notorious Troublemaker", has crashed a celebrity gathering. His Instagram profile includes recordings of him interrupting other star-studded functions, including rushing the platform at the pop singer's Sydney performance in recently and in a comparable manner during The Chainsmokers performance in the area last year.

"There needs to be action enforced against him as this is clearly a legal violation," wrote an Instagram user, in a response to a video Mr Wen posted of his act.

"You've done this repeatedly... how are you not behind bars?" one Instagram user remarked.

Fans Show Disapproval Over Ariana's Well-being

Many supporters accused Mr Wen for "triggering past anxiety" Grande, who had discussed experiencing trauma-related anxiety after a terrorist explosion at the conclusion of her spring 2017 show in Manchester, resulting in the death of 22 people and injuring hundreds.

"Ariana has been through so many scary things... and at her Manchester concert and you thought it would be fun to jump the barricade?" commented one more response on Instagram.

A number of supporters also criticised event staff at the Thursday event for not being sufficiently alert; while different individuals demanded digital services to block Mr Wen's content.

Reaction and Premiere Information

In videos spreading on the internet, Grande looked surprised when she was touched by the intruder. Her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be seen comforting her while Mr Wen was escorted away by staff.

Grande has not commented on the event, and the remaining proceedings carried on uninterrupted.

Fans at Wicked premiere
Many of Singapore attendees had queued up to see the performers of Wicked

Hundreds of fans had congregated in a crowd of green and pink at the Wicked: For Good regional launch in a Singapore mall, including a number who had queued for as long as a significant duration before it began.

The movie, to be launched on 21 November, is the follow-up of a two-film adaptation of the well-known stage musical Wicked, which centers on the unlikely relationship between two contrasting sorceresses.

The show itself is a derivative of the classic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Grande, who plays the character Glinda Glinda, was decked out in a champagne pink glittering gown at the premiere while Erivo, who portrays the wicked witch, wore a elegant ensemble decorated with roses.

They were accompanied by cast member Jeff Goldblum.

The initial film, Wicked, was the top-earning motion picture of 2024 in the UK, and earned a dozen Academy Award nods, winning several for excellent wardrobe and production design.

Dylan Wright
Dylan Wright

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