Johnson Wen, the Australian man who hopped a barricade and grabbed Ariana Grande when he rushed the red carpet at the “Wicked: For Good” premiere in Singapore, has been charged with being a public nuisance.
The video of Wen’s stunt, in which he charged at Grande and grabbed her excitedly before being pushed and pulled away by Grande’s “Wicked” co-star Cynthia Erivo and the on-site security, went viral Thursday. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Grande was seen being covered and protected by Erivo and fellow “Wicked: For Good” star Michelle Yeoh.
Afterward, Wen posted a video of the incident on his Instagram page, writing, “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You,” followed by a heart emoji.
On Friday afternoon, he was formally charged with being a public nuisance in a Singapore court. Wen reportedly intends to plead guilty to the charge. If so, he could be fined up to S$2000 (or $1,540 USD) for the incident.
This is, notably, not the first time Wen has invaded a celebrity’s personal space at an event. He jumped onstage and started dancing next to a visibly frazzled Katy Perry at a concert in June. He did the same thing at a Chainsmokers concert in Dec. 2024 and again at a concert held by The Weeknd in August. In all instances, the artists in question looked flustered and uncomfortable with Wen’s antics.
On his Instagram page, Wen describes himself as “Troll Most Hated.” While Grande herself has not yet commented on the incident at the “Wicked: For Good” premiere, many of her fans would likely agree with Wen’s description of himself. Social media platforms like X were flooded Thursday with posts from fans and spectators condemning Wen’s actions.
“Ariana Grande was assaulted and the person who did it thinks he’s cool for doing it. I’m so f—king livid. The entitlement of ‘fans’ is grotesque,” one user wrote on X. “I’m glad Cynthia Erivo was there, I’m glad security was there, and I hope Ariana has time to rest and recover — she looked so f—king scared it breaks my heart.”
As many were quick to note, Grande has unfortunate experience with traumatic public events. The 2017 bombing of her concert in Manchester, which resulted in the deaths of 22 people, famously shook her. In a 2018 interview with British Vogue, she told the outlet about the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder she experienced in the wake of the bombing.
“It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But, yeah, it’s a real thing,” Grande said at the time. “I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience – like I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”
“Wicked: For Good” is set to hit theaters in the U.S. on Friday, Nov. 21.
