A man grabbed Ariana Grande on the red carpet at the Singapore premiere of "Wicked: For Good" this week, sparking widespread condemnation and raising serious questions about celebrity safety at public events.
Co-star Cynthia Erivo intervened immediately, pulling the man away from Grande before security staff stepped in. Footage of the incident circulated on social media, showing Grande visibly shaken by the attack.
The perpetrator, 26-year-old Australian Johnson Wen, was arrested and charged with public nuisance by a Singapore court. He faces a potential fine of up to £1,170 if found guilty and has confirmed on Instagram he plans to plead guilty.
This Morning hosts condemn attack
ITV's "This Morning" discussed the incident on Friday, with presenters and panellists expressing outrage. Dermot O'Leary dismissed any notion of innocent fan excitement: «I get it when people get excited seeing their idols, but that wasn't that. That was entitlement. That was a guy trying to get on Instagram or TikTok or whatever.»
Panellist Sonia Sodha highlighted Wen's history of similar behavior: «He's got a track record of it. He's done it again and again. He's done it several times. I think it's incredibly disrespectful, it's a security risk. It's horrible for the stars.»
She also referenced Grande's trauma from the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing at her concert: «It was [Ariana's] concert in the Manchester Arena in 2017 that was bombed, and she's talked about how she suffered from PTSD after that. And to inflict that on her, I think it's quite disgusting.»
Calls for tighter event security
The incident has prompted discussions about whether red carpet events should implement stricter access controls. Sodha suggested fundamental changes may be necessary: «Maybe they should be ticketed. It would be a terrible shame but I really think that somebody who does this repeatedly should be banned from these events... It is not acceptable.»
Panellist Tim Campbell praised Erivo's quick protective instincts: «The thing that stood out to me is that I need a friend like Cynthia. She was good then, instantly her first reaction was to protect. She went straight in there.» He added: «That's what friendship looks like. I think that was amazing what she did... In that moment, you could see the fear in [Ariana's] eyes.»
"Wicked: For Good" is set for cinema release on Friday, November 21.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
