Man jailed in Singapore for grabbing Ariana Grande at premiere
A Singapore court has sentenced an Australian man to nine days in jail for grabbing Hollywood star Ariana Grande at a movie premiere.
Johnson Wen, 26, was found guilty of causing a public nuisance in the high-profile incident last Thursday at the Asia premiere of Wicked: For Good.
Social media videos showed Wen jumping over barriers, charging at a visibly shocked Grande, and grabbing her shoulders while jumping up and down. The incident sparked outrage in Singapore, with many calling for Wen’s arrest and deportation. He has a history of disrupting concerts and celebrity events.
Critics said Wen’s actions “re-traumatised” Grande, who has previously spoken about experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder following the 2017 Manchester concert bombing, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds.
During Wen’s trial on Monday, Singapore media reported that he had attempted to intrude on the premiere twice. After grabbing Grande, her co-star Cynthia Erivo pried him off, and security escorted him out. Wen then tried to jump the barricades a second time, but was stopped and pinned down by staff.
Wen later posted videos of the incident on social media, thanking Grande and claiming he was “free.” He was arrested by Singapore police the following day and charged with public nuisance, to which he pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors had sought a one-week jail term, describing Wen as a “serial intruder” who publicised his behaviour online for attention. Wen has previously disrupted concerts by Katy Perry and The Weeknd and invaded sporting events, leading to stadium bans and large fines in Australia.
Unrepresented in court, Wen told the judge he would “not do it again.” Under Singapore law, public nuisance offences carry a maximum sentence of three months in jail, a fine of up to S$2,000 (£1,167; $1,537), or both.
Grande has not commented on the case but continued to appear at public events in Los Angeles over the weekend. Two days after the incident, Erivo appeared to reference it while discussing her relationship with Grande during filming, saying: “We have come through some stuff in our lives, our daily workings… even this last week, let’s be honest.”
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