Man Who Grabbed Ariana Grande in Singapore Officially Charged in Court
A man who grabbed Ariana Grande at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good has been arrested and charged.
Ariana Grande has a scary moment at ‘Wicked: For Good’ premiere
Johnson Wen leapt over a barricade and rushed at the singer and actor while she was walking the yellow carpet at the event on November 13. His stunt was captured in a now-viral video, which shows fellow Wicked actor Cynthia Erivo moving to get between Grande and the attacker.
Security quickly subdued and removed Wen. Meanwhile, Erivo and Michelle Yeoh comforted an obviously shaken Grande.
Wen has since been charged with being a public nuisance, the BBC reports. He intends to plead guilty and faces a fine of up to $1,540 and three months in jail. Grande has not commented on the incident.
The video of Grande’s frightening premiere moment sparked widespread outrage and concern. A number of fans pointed out that the singer has spoken about coping with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder following the 2017 suicide bomb attack outside of her concert in Manchester, England, which killed 22 people.
“After all the trauma Ari has been through, this is beyond disrespectful,” one person commented on a video Wen shared of the moment on Instagram.
Grande’s attacker has a history of similar stunts
Thursday’s incident is not the first time the 26-year-old Australian has interfered with a celebrity in public. Wen, who describes himself as a “troll most hated” in his Instagram bio, has a habit of crashing events and performances. In June, he rushed the stage at a Katy Perry concert. He did the same at a concert by The Weeknd in August and a Chainsmokers show in December 2024. He also ran onto the track during an event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, disrupting the men’s 100-meter final.
While’s Wen’s behavior at the Wicked: For Good premiere got him hauled off by security and arrested, he has no regrets. He also appears to be unfazed by criticism of his boundary-crossing antics.
“Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You,” he captioned the clip of the moment he attempted to grab the former Nickelodeon star.
The comments on the post were scathing. “
“Did you genuinely think that was going to be your big moment”? one person wrote.
“Rushing a woman — any woman, let alone someone who has survived unimaginable trauma — is not ‘a prank,’ they added. “…It’s pathetic, dangerous, and shows a total lack of respect for boundaries, safety, and basic human decency.”
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