Man Who Grabbed Ariana Grande at ‘Wicked: For Good’ Premiere Sentenced to Prison

A man from Australia has been sentenced to nine days in prison in Singapore after he ran toward Ariana Grande and grabbed her during the Wicked: For Good premiere.

Local media in Singapore reported that the court found 26-year-old Johnson Wen guilty of causing a public nuisance during the event last Thursday.

Videos that spread quickly online show Wen jumping past the barriers and rushing at Grande, who looked shocked as he grabbed her shoulders and jumped around. The moment caused anger across Singapore, with many people demanding that he be arrested and sent out of the country.

Some also pointed out that Grande has spoken before about dealing with PTSD after the 2017 bombing at her Manchester concert, and said the incident risked upsetting her again.

Cynthia Erivo protects Ariana Grande from a ‘Wicked: For Good’ premiere attendee. pic.twitter.com/XQBeQJWZsI

— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 13, 2025

Reports from Singapore say Wen tried to get into the premiere area twice. After he first grabbed Grande, her co-star Cynthia Erivo pulled him away before security dragged him out. Wen then tried again to jump the barricades, but guards stopped him and held him down.

Wen later posted about the incident on his own social media accounts, where he thanked Grande and claimed he was “free.” Police arrested him the next day and he later admitted to the charge of public nuisance in court.

Prosecutors told the court that Wen is a repeat offender, saying he has a pattern of interrupting concerts and celebrity events to gain attention. They described him as a “serial intruder.”

Australian reports have also said he has been fined before and is banned from some stadiums after running onto fields or disrupting shows by artists like Katy Perry and The Weeknd.

Wen did not have a lawyer and told the judge that he would “not do it again.” Under Singapore’s laws, he could have faced up to three months in jail or a fine of up to S$2,000.

Grande has not spoken publicly about the case, and she continued making appearances in Los Angeles over the weekend. Erivo seemed to reference the incident two days later when she talked about her bond 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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