A man was arrested after he disrupted an Ariana Grande appearance at the Wicked: For Good event in Singapore by rushing towards her with the intent to hug her. The incident took place on a Thursday and has led to charges against the individual for causing a public disturbance.
The individual, identified as 26-year-old Johnson Wen from Australia, was captured in several viral videos as he breached the security barriers of the red carpet, sprinted towards Grande, and tried to wrap his arm around her.
Grande appeared visibly startled by the sudden intrusion, while co-star Cynthia Erivo intervened decisively, pulling Wen away from Grande with a visibly upset expression.
Following the event, Wen, who uses the Instagram username Pyjamamann, was taken into custody for a brief period. He later made a post on Instagram thanking Ariana Grande for the unintended interaction on the yellow carpet.
However, the Singaporean authorities are treating the matter with seriousness.
Court documents released the following Friday revealed that Wen is officially charged with being a “public nuisance”. He is potentially facing up to three months in jail and could be fined as much as S$2000 (approximately $1540). His court reappearance was scheduled for the upcoming Monday.
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Wen has a history of similar disruptive behavior. His Instagram features videos where he has crashed other high-profile events, including a Katy Perry concert, a performance by The Chainmakers, and various significant sporting events like the 2023 FIFA World Cup Final.
This recent stunt in Singapore has attracted a lot of negative attention, particularly because Grande has previously expressed her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder following a deadly attack at her concert in Manchester in May 2017, which resulted in 22 deaths and left hundreds injured.
As of now, Grande has not made any public statements regarding the recent incident in Singapore.
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Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
His sharp analysis and investigative reports make complex financial topics accessible to all readers.
