In a shocking moment that left fans stunned, Hollywood singer and actress Ariana Grande was suddenly grabbed by a fan during the premiere of her new movie, Evil: foreverheld on November 13 in Singapore.
According to entertainment channel People, Grande, who plays Glinda in the film, was walking the Yellow Brick Road-themed red carpet at Universal Studios Singapore alongside co-stars Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Goldblum when the accident occurred.
A man dressed in a white shirt and shorts suddenly burst into the crowd. With long black hair dyed blue, he wrapped his arms tightly around Grande, pulling her towards him. Shocked and visibly distressed, Grande struggled to free herself.
Immediately, Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, sprung into action, placing herself between Grande and the man, yelling at him to back off. Security personnel promptly intervened, removing the man from Grande.
Witnesses captured the aftermath, showing Grande visibly shaken and taking deep breaths as Erivo and Yeoh comforted her.
The perpetrator was later identified as Johnson Wen, known online as “The Pajama Man.” He has a history of hacking celebrity events and posted a video of the incident on his social media, with the caption: “Dear Ariana Grande, thank you for letting me jump on the yellow carpet with you.”
After scaring Ariana, Wen boasted about his “success” on social media, adding the caption, “To Ariana Grande, thank you for letting me jump on the golden carpet with you.” On his Instagram story, Wen shared his excitement about meeting Ariana and revealed that he was released immediately after being arrested.
This attitude further infuriated the online community. They asked Wen to stop his harassing behavior. Many also questioned how Wen remained unharmed after carrying out a series of disruptive acts. They called on the authorities to take strict measures against him to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Wen has previously disrupted public events, including Katy Perry’s performance in June and The Weeknd show in August, both times removed by security.
Grande’s bout sparked concern among fans, especially considering her past trauma. The star has spoken openly about his struggles with PTSD following the tragic 2017 Manchester bombing, which killed 22 people during his concert.
Evil: foreverwhich explores the intertwined destinies and growing friendship between the misunderstood “evil witch” Elphaba and the fame-driven “good witch” Glinda, will be released on November 19.
Sources: Daum
