A man who crashed a Wicked: For Good red carpet premiere and rushed at Ariana Grande has been jailed for public nuisance.
- Read More: ‘Wicked’ review: hit musical makes gravity-defying leap to the big screen
The incident took place last Thursday (November 13) at Universal Studios in Singapore, as a man jumped over the barricade, before rushing towards Grande and wrapping his arms around her, jumping up and down.
As the star froze in shock, fellow actress Cynthia Erivo came to help her and pushed the man away, before he was removed by security.
The person in question, an Australian prankster named Johnson Wen – also known as pyjamamann on social media – later posted the incident on his Instagram page, writing: “Dear Ariana Grande, thank you for letting me jump on the Yellow Carpet with you.”
He has previously rushed at artists including Chainsmokers and Katy Perry concerts in Sydney, and a Weeknd gig in Melbourne, as well as events at the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2023 Cricket World Cup.
Wen was charged for public nuisance in a Singaporean court after the Wicked incident, and faced a fine of up to S$2,000 (£1,168).
He has now been sentenced to nine days in jail after pleading guilty to causing annoyance to the public by creating a commotion (via Channel News Asia).
During court proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jane Lim had sought a week’s jail, arguing he is a “serial intruder” that has a “glaring lack of remorse”. Wen said in mitigation: “I won’t do it again, your honour.”
The prosecution argued that he would need jail, as District Judge Christopher Goh said during sentencing that he had committed previous similar acts, and had shown lack of remorse after “brazenly” posting that he was “free” after being arrested. Wen was then sentenced to nine days in jail.
Wicked: For Good is due out in cinemas later this week (November 21). In NME’s four star review of the first film, we said: “By the end, you won’t quite be levitating off your seat but you’ll definitely be enchanted enough to stream the soundtrack on the way home. Funny, colourful and full of empathy for outsiders, this film really is the Shiz.”
