‘Wicked’ Fan Runs at Ariana Grande During Red Carpet Premiere

Ariana Grande was assaulted on the yellow brick road carpet for Wicked: For Good by an overzealous fan, but her co-star Cynthia Erivo stepped in. At the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good, a man in a white shirt, with blue highlights in his hair, jumped the barricade and rushed to put his arm around Grande, jumping up and down, before Erivo pushed him off and security tackled him to the ground (via Variety). Erivo, alongside Grande’s Wicked co-stars Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and director Jon M. Chu, is seen comforting the Galinda actress in a video taken of the event.

Variety identified the perpetrator as Johnson Wen, whose Instagram handle is “Pyjama Man.” Identified as a “troll” on his own social media account, Wen is an Australian influencer who has pulled similar stunts on Katy Perry at her concert in June 2024, The Weeknd at his show in August 2024, and The Chainsmokers at a concert in December 2024. He has since shared the video of him jumping at Grande. Wren was arrested but later released after the incident with Grande.

Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Lead Global Tour for ‘Wicked: For Good’

Wicked: For Good is in the middle of its global premiere, as the cast and crew are embarking on a world tour. Ariana Grande had to miss the first event in Brazil on November 4, 2025, due to transportation issues and apologized to all her fans. It certainly makes an already awful situation at the premiere in Singapore even worse, given that Grande seems more than happy to attend these events for her fans, only to be treated in such a way by someone who only seems interested in chasing clout. Security will certainly be tightened for the upcoming premieres in New York City. Grande posted the following on Instagram after she was forced to miss the Brazil event, via Variety:

“I am so heartbroken that I’m unable to be there with you all. We sincerely tried everything we could and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. Please shower my incredible castmates with all of the love that I wish I could be showering you with and have the most beautiful celebration. And again, I am so, so very sorry.”

Hopefully, the rest of the Wicked: For Good press tour will move in a more positive direction, especially since the sequel looks to be one of the biggest movies of the year. The film is dominating Fandango pre-ticket sales, with it predicted to open between $115 to $120 million, but those numbers could go higher and have a good chance of taking A Minecraft Movie‘s title for the biggest opening weekend of 2025. Both Erivo and Grande are already considered frontrunners for the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, respectively, at the 98th Academy Awards, with Wicked: For Good also considered a Best Picture contender.