Fans Demand Custody of Individual Who Grabbed Ariana Grande
Devoted supporters of the pop star are urging that a individual who jumped a barrier and grabbed the celebrity during the recent Wicked: For Good premiere be taken into custody or expelled from Singapore.
A circulating clip reveals the person identified as Johnson Wen pushing past photographers and lunging at Grande while the performers made its way down a event pathway flanked by fans.
Co-star Cynthia Erivo quickly guided the surprised performer away from Mr Wen, who was seen being escorted out of the gathering by event staff.
Mr Wen posted on Instagram late on Thursday that he was "free after being taken in", though legal records revealed that he was scheduled to attend court on the following morning. It is not clear if he was faced legal action.
Record of Incidents
This is part of a pattern for Mr Wen, who calls himself a "Troll Most Hated", has crashed a performance. His Instagram profile includes videos of him disturbing other high-profile occasions, including breaching the performance area at the pop singer's Sydney performance in earlier this year and in a comparable manner during The Chainsmokers concert in the city last winter.
"Measures must be taken applied against him as this is evidently a legal violation," commented an Instagram commenter, in a response to a video Mr Wen uploaded of his actions.
"You've done this repeatedly... how are you not behind bars?" another Instagram user remarked.
Followers Voice Worry Over Grande's Past Trauma
Many fans blamed Mr Wen for "re-traumatising" Grande, who had discussed dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after a devastating incident at the end of her 2017 show in Manchester, claiming the lives of 22 people and injuring hundreds.
"The star has endured numerous terrifying experiences... including the Manchester tragedy, and you believed breaching security was amusing?" commented another response on Instagram.
Some attendees also faulted security officers at the gathering for not being adequately prepared; while some demanded online networks to ban Mr Wen's videos.
Reaction and Premiere Information
In clips spreading on the internet, Grande seemed shocked when she was grabbed by the intruder. Her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be seen consoling her while Mr Wen was escorted away by security.
Grande has remained silent on the situation, and the premiere activities carried on uninterrupted.
Hundreds of fans had gathered in a mass of colorful attire at the Wicked: For Good international debut in a Singapore mall, including several who had stood in line for as long as eight hours before it began.
The film, to be launched on 21 November, is the follow-up of a two-film version of the well-known Broadway and West End production Wicked, which focuses on the unexpected relationship between two distinct witches.
The musical itself is a derivative of the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Grande, who portrays the good witch Glinda, was dressed in a champagne pink sparkling outfit at the event while Erivo, who acts as the villainous character, wore a sleek black dress decorated with roses.
They were accompanied by cast member Jeff Goldblum.
The first movie, Wicked, was the highest-grossing motion picture of 2024 in the UK, and earned a dozen Oscar nominations, earning a pair for best costume and production design.