Supporters Demand Arrest of Individual Who Touched Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande at Wicked premiere
Ariana Grande attended an event in Singapore for the regional premiere of Wicked: For Good

Passionate supporters of the actress are urging that a person who breached a barricade and grabbed the celebrity during yesterday's Wicked: For Good premiere be taken into custody or expelled from Singapore.

A viral clip shows the person identified as Johnson Wen bypassing media personnel and lunging at Grande while the cast proceeded down a promenade surrounded by supporters.

Fellow actress Cynthia Erivo promptly pulled the surprised performer away from Mr Wen, who was spotted being led away of the gathering by event staff.

Mr Wen stated on Instagram Thursday evening that he was "released after being taken in", though court documents revealed that he was set to attend court on the next day. It is not clear if he was charged.

History of Incidents

This is part of a pattern for Mr Wen, who calls himself a "Notorious Troublemaker", has crashed a performance. His Instagram profile features recordings of him disrupting other celebrity events, including rushing the platform at Katy Perry's Sydney performance in June this year and in a similar way during The Chainsmokers concert in the same location last year.

"Measures must be taken taken against him as this is clearly a punishable act," commented an Instagram user, in a reply to a video Mr Wen shared of his behavior.

"Oh wow so you do this a lot... how aren't you in jail?" a different Instagram user remarked.

Fans Show Disapproval Over Grande's Past Trauma

Many followers accused Mr Wen for "re-traumatising" Grande, who had discussed experiencing trauma-related anxiety after a terrorist explosion at the conclusion of her May 2017 show in Manchester, resulting in the death of 22 people and wounding hundreds.

"After everything she's faced... including the Manchester attack, you considered it entertaining to rush the barrier?" commented one more message on Instagram.

Some fans also questioned event staff at the Thursday event for not being adequately prepared; while some demanded social media platforms to ban Mr Wen's uploads.

Reaction and Premiere Information

In videos circulating online, Grande seemed shocked when she was grabbed by the individual. Her fellow actors Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be spotted comforting her while Mr Wen was escorted away by guards.

Grande has not issued a statement on the situation, and the rest of the event proceeded as normal.

Fans at Wicked premiere
Numerous of Singapore attendees had waited to see the performers of Wicked

Many of fans had congregated in a mass of green and pink at the Wicked: For Good Asia-Pacific debut in a Singapore mall, including a number who had stood in line for as long as eight hours before it started.

The movie, to be launched on November 21, is the follow-up of a two-film adaptation of the popular stage show Wicked, which revolves around the unlikely friendship between two contrasting characters.

The show itself is a spin-off of the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Grande, who plays the benevolent sorceress Glinda, was decked out in a rosé glittering gown at the gathering while Erivo, who plays the villainous character, wore a black tube gown featuring roses.

They were accompanied by cast member Jeff Goldblum.

The previous installment, Wicked, was the top-earning movie of the previous year in the UK, and earned a dozen Oscar nominations, winning two for excellent wardrobe and artistic direction.

Jonathan Griffin
Jonathan Griffin

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casinos, specializing in slot machine mechanics and player strategy optimization.