Ariana Grande Rushed by ‘Wicked’ Fan in Frightening Red Carpet Incident
Elphaba came to the rescue in real life.
Ariana Grande faced a terrifying moment at the “Wicked: For Good” premiere in Singapore on Thursday when a fan suddenly charged at her on the red carpet. Her co-star Cynthia Erivo quickly intervened, stepping between Grande and the man to protect her.
Viral videos on social media show the 32-year-old singer walking the carpet alongside Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum when a man sprinted toward her and wrapped his arms around her. Grande, who stars as Glinda in the upcoming Wicked films, attempted to pull away from the individual, who appeared to smile and cheer as he grabbed her.
Erivo immediately moved in to shield Grande until security restrained the man and escorted him away. Yeoh, 63, was also seen comforting Grande, who looked visibly shaken after the incident.
According to social media posts, the man has been identified as Johnson Wen, known online as “Pyjama Man.” Wen later uploaded a video of the encounter to his Instagram account, thanking Grande for “letting” him jump onto the yellow carpet. In a subsequent Instagram Story, he claimed he had been released following an arrest, appearing in a shirt that read “Jesus.”
Wen has a history of crashing celebrity events. He previously stormed the stage at concerts for Katy Perry and The Weeknd, including an incident at Perry’s Australia show in June that led to his arrest.
Fans heavily criticized Wen in the comments of his video, accusing him of harassment and assault. Many expressed outrage and concern for Grande, especially given her traumatic history.
Grande has previously opened up about suffering PTSD after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, where 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured during her concert. Speaking to Vogue UK in 2018, she said discussing the tragedy still brings her to tears.
Grande and Erivo are set to reprise their roles as Glinda and Elphaba in the sequel to the first Jon M. Chu–directed Wicked film, which earned both actresses nominations at the 2025 Academy Awards.
