“After being arrested and charged in Singapore, the man who rushed and grabbed Ariana Grande on the Wicked: For Good red carpet last week has been deported and banned from the country. Johnson Wen, a 26-year-old Australian, was initially charged with “being a public nuisance,” according to the BBC. He posted on Instagram that he was already “free after being”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
Johnson Wen, a 26-year-old Australian, was initially charged with “being a public nuisance,” according to the BBC. He posted on Instagram that he was already “free after being arrested” in an incident that reportedly “caused massive outrage” in Singapore.
But now the BBC reports that after being sentenced to nine days in prison, Wen has been “barred from re-entering Singapore” by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
The original incident happened during the premiere for Wicked: For Good. As the cast walked the red carpet, Wen broke through past photographers and threw his arms around Grande, leaving her appearing very shaken. Grande’s Wicked: For Good co-star Cynthia Erivo immediately jumped in to shove the fan away and then protectively put her arms around Grande.
During an appearance on NBC’s Today on Thursday, Erivo explained of the moment she rushed to Grande: “I wasn’t really thinking. I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe. I’m sure he didn’t mean us harm, but you never know with those things, and I wanted to make sure that she was OK. That was my first instinct.”
Grande has not commented on the incident.
Wen refers to himself as the “Troll Most Hated” on his Instagram and reportedly has a history of pulling similar stunts. He has previously posted clips of him disrupting other events — such as jumping onstage at concerts by Katy Perry, The Weeknd and The Chainsmokers, as well as running onto the field at sporting events.
Subscribe Sign Up