Ariana Grande has been at the center of a disturbing incident at a movie premiere in Singapore, where she was grabbed by an overzealous fan, Johnson Wen, 26, an Australian national. The incident, which occurred at the Asia premiere of Wicked: For Good, left Grande visibly shocked and sparked widespread outrage.
Wen, who has a history of disrupting celebrity events, jumped the barriers and grabbed Grande’s shoulders, jumping up and down in excitement. He was quickly subdued by security staff and later arrested by police. The incident was particularly concerning given Grande’s history of trauma, including a suicide bomb attack at her Manchester concert in 2017 that left 22 people dead and hundreds injured.
In court, Wen pleaded guilty to a charge of public nuisance and was sentenced to nine days in prison. Prosecutors had sought a week’s jail time, arguing that Wen was a “serial intruder” who had deliberately sought to gain notoriety through his actions. Wen’s defense claimed he would “not do it again,” but his history of similar incidents, including disrupting concerts by Katy Perry and The Weeknd, suggested otherwise.
The incident has sparked a strong reaction in Singapore, with many calling for Wen’s deportation and criticizing his actions as reckless and insensitive. Grande’s co-star Cynthia Erivo has spoken out about the incident, praising the way she and Grande supported each other through the ordeal.
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