Cynthia Erivo steps in to shield Ariana Grande after a fan crashes the 'Wicked: For Good' premiere carpet.
Image: Instagram
The Singapore premiere of “Wicked: For Good” took an unexpected turn when a man broke through the barricade and went straight for Ariana Grande on the yellow carpet.
What could have turned into a scary scene for the singer was quickly stopped by co-star Cynthia Erivo, who did not hesitate to step in to protect Grande.
The 32-year-old actress and singer was walking the carpet at Universal Studios Singapore with her co-stars Erivo, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum when the man sprinted towards her.
In the videos now circulating online, he pushes through the crowd and security, wraps an arm around Grande and pulls her towards him. The star tried to get away from the fan, looking visibly shaken.
Before security even reached them, Erivo reacted first as she moved in front of Grande, blocking the man and shouting “get off” as she tried to separate him from her co-star.
Within seconds, security pulls the man off Grande while Erivo and Yeoh check on her. She appeared shaken and took a moment to get herself together as they comforted her. Fans on the other side of the barricade could be heard asking the star if she was okay.
As the videos have been making the rounds on social media, many netizens quickly recognised the man who jumped on Grande as Johnson Wen, a well-known red carpet crasher who goes by “Pyjama Man” online.
It was revealed that he had previously interrupted many artists during their performances, including Katy Perry, The Weeknd and The Chainsmokers.
Wen has also reportedly interrupted the 2024 Olympics in Paris, delaying the 100m Olympic final. As if that were not enough, in 2023, he disrupted the Cricket World Cup. Shockingly, the prankster has footage of all these events on his Instagram account.
After the Singapore incident, he posted videos on his social pages gloating about meeting Grande “Yes! Finally, I dreamed about meeting Ariana Grande and finally my dreams became true,” he said, while laughing sinisterly.
This only intensified the backlash from fans who called his behaviour disrespectful and unacceptable, calling for him to be arrested.
“If people can get banned at airports for causing one problem, why can't they do it too at concerts or events? He literally interrupted an Olympic game, how tf is he still free?” asked @ftznamu on X.
“This being the same guy who jumped on stage and hugged The Weeknd, Katy Perry, Coldplay etc, him being not arrested is still truly a mystery to me,” said @orjikhon.