The man who grabbed Ariana Grande on the red carpet for Wicked: For Good‘s Asia premiere has been sentenced to nine days in jail.
Multiple reports say Australian citizen Johnson Wen was found guilty of being a public nuisance by a Singapore court.
The incident happened last Thursday, with various social media videos showing Wen jumping the barriers at the musical sequel’s screening and running towards Grande, grabbing her shoulder and excitedly jumping up and down. He was quickly tackled, first by Grande’s co-star, Cynthia Erivo, quickly followed by security, who dragged him away.
Wen later made a second attempt to jump the barricades, and was pinned to the floor.
After the incident, Wen posted under the handle of Pyjamamann on Instagram to say he was “free after being arrested,” though he still faced a court appearance, which was held today. He also posted another mocking message, writing: “@arianagrande @wickedmovie Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You”.
Wen had been facing up to three months in jail and a $2,000 fine for public nuisance, but got a more lenient sentence. He reportedly pleaded guilty and told a judge he would not repeat his behavior.
Wen is a serial stage invader. Clips on his Instagram account show him also invading a Katy Perry show, a Chainmakers concert and a variety of sporting events such as the 2023 FIFA World Cup FinaI among many other events.
He has faced severe online criticism over the Wicked prank, with many accusing him of ‘retraumitizing’ Grande, who experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after suicide bombers killed 22 people and injured hundreds more at her concert in Manchester, England, in 2017.
Grande has yet to comment on the Singapore incident, but Erivo appeared to address it during a Screen Actors Guild screening of Wicked: For Good over the weekend. Talking about herself and Grande, she said: “We have come through some stuff in our lives, in our daily workings. I mean, fuck, even this last week.”
