Person Who Reached For Ariana Grande at Premiere Prohibited from Singapore
An individual of Australian nationality who vaulted over a barricade and grabbed celebrity Ariana Grande has been expelled and prohibited from Singapore.
Johnson Wen, aged 26, was given a sentence to nine days in jail for being a public nuisance and has now been "banned from entering the country again," the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority told local media.
Wen pushed beyond security and charged at the actress and singer, who was present at the regional launch for Wicked: For Good on the thirteenth of November. Co-star Cynthia Erivo intervened to remove him from Grande.
He has a background of causing disturbances at events and star-studded occasions, including jumping on stage at the pop star's Australian show in June this year.
The event provoked strong reactions in Singapore, with numerous people saying he of causing further distress to the star.
The singer has spoken of suffering from PTSD after a suicide bomb attack at her concert in the UK city in May 2017 resulted in the deaths of 22 people and injured hundreds.
Throughout the court proceedings, the authorities learned he had attempted to intrude on the film's premiere multiple times, according to regional reports.
He then made a second attempt to jump the barricades. Security staff prevented him and restrained him.
He then uploaded videos expressing gratitude to the star for letting him on the carpet and said he was "free."
Law enforcement detained him the following day and charged him with causing a disturbance, to which the man admitted guilt.
The Court Judge Christopher Goh was cited by Channel News Asia as stating that the man sought attention, noting that he was mistaken to believe he would not suffer any consequences.
The actress has not addressed the case.
The co-star discussed the incident to NBC, saying that she "just wanted to ensure my friend was safe."
"I'm sure he had no intention to us injury, but you never know with those things, and I sought to confirm that she was OK. That was my first instinct," she stated.
