The man who unexpectedly rushed Ariana Grande on the yellow carpet at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore has been sentenced to jail.
Cynthia Erivo went viral for her protective response, moving to defend her friend and push him away in the alarming moment.
Australian Johnson Wen, 26, was identified and pleaded guilty to one charge of being a public nuisance.
He was given nine days’ jail time after jumping the barricade as the Wicked 2 stars walked down the carpet, according to The Straits Times.
The court heard that he had arrived in Singapore on November 11 on a social visit pass for a holiday and to attend the premiere.
Grande, Erivo, and their fellow cast member Michelle Yeoh were walking arm-in-arm through a controlled fan area, with barricades on both sides, when the incident occurred.
Ariana Grande
Grande had just greeted a fan to her right when a young man jumped over the barrier and rushed at her in a dramatic moment.
He tackled the singer in something between a hug and a headlock, with video from the event showing Erivo immediately intervening, trying to throw her body between them and pulling the individual away from her co-star as security personnel closed in.
Yeoh also turned toward Grande in a panic as the team roughly pulled the young man out of the area.
Later, Wen identified himself on social media, sharing his own footage of the moment on TikTok with the caption ‘Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.’
Posting to his Instagram Story on November 13, Wen — known online as ‘Pyjama Man’ — wrote, ‘I am free after being arrested,’ confirming his involvement in the incident.
He posted a video of the incident to his Instagram account, captioning it: ‘@arianagrande @wickedmovie Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You ❤️’ and immediately receiving thousands of comments condemning his actions.
He was then charged with being a public nuisance by a Singapore court on Friday afternoon.
This is not the first time Wen has pulled a similar stunt.
His Instagram feed includes clips of him jumping on stage at Katy Perry’s Sydney concert in June this year and doing the same at a concert by The Chainsmokers last December.
Grande appeared startled but quickly regained her composure after the incident, continuing down the carpet with Erivo keeping a steadying arm around her, the pair looking shell-shocked.
Another fan video shows the man resisting security as he’s pulled away from the event, with the fan who posted the video, @arisdandelions, claiming on X: ‘getting taken away for the second time btw. the SECOND time.’
The frightening moment went viral on social media, with many praising Erivo’s quick response.
@thiscantbeyoufr agreed: ‘cynthia doesn’t play about ari cause why is she doing more work than the security team?!’
@TheeLieLamaa said: ‘The entitlement of “fans”is grotesque. I’m glad Cynthia Erivo and the security was there!’
@0xkhus also praised Cynthia, writing: ‘Real friendship is stepping in without hesitation. Cynthia understood the assignment 💚✨’
Despite the disruption, the premiere proceeded as planned, and all three actresses continued their promotional appearances for the film.
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