Fans Demand Arrest of Individual Who Touched Ariana Grande
Passionate supporters of the actress are urging that a man who jumped a barricade and touched the performer during yesterday's Wicked: For Good premiere be taken into custody or deported from Singapore.
A widely shared footage shows the Australian man bypassing camera operators and rushing toward Grande while the performers walked down a yellow carpet surrounded by onlookers.
Cast member Cynthia Erivo immediately wrested the surprised star away from Mr Wen, who was observed being led away of the event by guards.
Mr Wen stated on Instagram Thursday evening that he was "free after being taken in", though court documents revealed that he was set to attend court on the following morning. It is uncertain if he was faced legal action.
History of Disruptions
This is not the first time for Mr Wen, who calls himself a "Notorious Troublemaker", has crashed a performance. His Instagram feed contains videos of him interrupting other star-studded functions, including breaching the performance area at Katy Perry's Sydney show in June this year and in a similar way during The Chainsmokers performance in the same location last year.
"There needs to be action taken against him as this is evidently a punishable act," commented an Instagram user, in a response to a video Mr Wen posted of his actions.
"This appears to be a habit... why are you not imprisoned?" one Instagram user questioned.
Supporters Show Disapproval Over Ariana's Past Trauma
Several fans accused Mr Wen for "triggering past anxiety" Grande, who had spoken of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a devastating incident at the finale of her spring 2017 concert in Manchester, resulting in the death of 22 people and harming numerous individuals.
"Ariana has been through so many scary things... and at her Manchester concert and you thought it would be fun to jump the barricade?" wrote one more comment on Instagram.
A number of fans also questioned event staff at the premiere for not being adequately prepared; while different individuals called for digital services to ban Mr Wen's videos.
Reaction and Event Details
In videos circulating online, Grande seemed startled when she was approached by the individual. Her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be spotted consoling her while Mr Wen was escorted away by security.
Grande has not issued a statement on the situation, and the premiere activities proceeded as normal.
Hundreds of fans had assembled in a mass of emerald and rose at the Wicked: For Good regional debut in a Singapore mall, including several who had waited for as long as many hours before it started.
The film, to be released on November 21, is the second of a two-film version of the popular stage show Wicked, which centers on the surprising relationship between two very different witches.
The musical itself is a spin-off of the 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Grande, who plays the character Glinda Glinda, was dressed in a light pink sequin dress at the gathering while Erivo, who plays the villainous character, wore a black tube gown embroidered with roses.
They were accompanied by cast member Jeff Goldblum.
The previous installment, Wicked, was the highest-grossing movie of 2024 in the UK, and scored a dozen Oscar nominations, winning a pair for excellent wardrobe and set decoration.