Fan attacks Ariana Grande at Singapore ‘Wicked’ premiere
A fan attacked Ariana Grande as she walked the yellow carpet at the premiere of Wicked: For Good, and Cynthia Erivo shoved him.
Cynthia Erivo is speaking out after she intervened when a fan jumped over a barricade at the Wicked: For Good premiere.
“We all go through some things in our lives and in our day-to-day jobs,” Erivo said at a Screen Actors Guild screening of the film, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I mean…last week. Honestly…we really had to deal with some things, but this movie really allowed us to grow as people, as friends, as sisters, as artists, as actresses.”
Erivo’s comments date back to the November 13 premiere of Wicked: For Good in Singapore. At the time, an Australian man, now identified as Johnson Wen, was caught on a viral video running towards co-star Ariana Grande. Ms. Grande’s castmates, especially Ms. Erivo, immediately crowded around her and chased the man away.
Wen was later arrested and charged with causing a public nuisance, NBC News and the BBC reported. Social media footage of Wen, who describes himself as a “troll” on his Instagram profile, shows him rushing onto the stage at various concerts, including Katy Perry and Chainsmokers shows, and then being dragged away by security.
On Monday, November 17, Wen was sentenced to nine days in prison for the incident, the BBC reported. According to the newspaper, under local law he could have been sentenced to up to three months in prison, but prosecutors asked for a one-week sentence. The BBC, citing a local broadcaster, said the trial also revealed that Erivo pushed Wen off the Grande and tried to jump over the barricade again, but was held down by security guards.
He posted a video of the “Wicked” carpet incident and captioned it, “Dear Ariana Grande, thank you for letting me ride the yellow carpet with you ❤️.” The moment quickly went viral as fans criticized Wen’s actions and applauded Erivo for taking action.
Erivo, who plays the evil witch Elphaba in the film, helped pull the man away from her co-star before security intervened, a video showing the moment from multiple angles.
