Followers Call for Custody of Person Who Grabbed Ariana Grande
Devoted fans of Ariana Grande are demanding that a man who breached a barricade and grabbed the celebrity during Thursday's Wicked: For Good debut be detained or deported from Singapore.
A widely shared clip depicts the person identified as Johnson Wen bypassing camera operators and charging at Grande while the cast made its way down a yellow carpet surrounded by onlookers.
Co-star Cynthia Erivo immediately guided the surprised actress away from Mr Wen, who was spotted being removed of the premiere by security officers.
Mr Wen stated on Instagram Thursday evening that he was "free after being taken in", though legal records showed that he was scheduled to appear on Friday morning. It is not clear if he was charged.
Pattern of Disruptions
This is not an isolated incident for Mr Wen, who describes himself as a "Controversial Figure", has disrupted a performance. His Instagram account contains videos of him disturbing other star-studded functions, including jumping on stage at the pop singer's Sydney performance in earlier this year and in a similar way during The Chainsmokers concert in the city last year.
"Measures must be taken applied against him as this is clearly a punishable act," wrote an Instagram user, in a reply to a video Mr Wen uploaded of his behavior.
"Oh wow so you do this a lot... how aren't you in jail?" one Instagram user remarked.
Followers Express Concern Over the Star's Well-being
Many supporters blamed Mr Wen for "triggering past anxiety" Grande, who had revealed dealing with trauma-related anxiety after a suicide bomb attack at the end of her May 2017 performance in Manchester, claiming the lives of 22 people and injuring hundreds.
"Ariana has been through so many scary things... and at her Manchester concert and you thought it would be fun to jump the barricade?" commented one more comment on Instagram.
Several supporters also faulted security officers at the gathering for not being adequately prepared; while others requested digital services to ban Mr Wen's content.
Response and Premiere Information
In clips spreading on the internet, Grande seemed shocked when she was approached by the man. Her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be seen comforting her while Mr Wen was led out by staff.
Grande has remained silent on the incident, and the premiere activities continued without further issues.
Numerous of attendees had assembled in a sea of emerald and rose at the Wicked: For Good regional launch in a Singapore mall, including a number who had stood in line for as long as many hours before it started.
The movie, to be released on the 21st of November, is the follow-up of a two-film interpretation of the popular theatrical production Wicked, which focuses on the unlikely bond between two distinct sorceresses.
The show itself is a adaptation of the twentieth-century story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Grande, who portrays the character Glinda Glinda, was decked out in a champagne pink sparkling outfit at the gathering while Erivo, who portrays the villainous character, wore a sleek black dress embroidered with roses.
They were alongside fellow actor Jeff Goldblum.
The previous installment, Wicked, was the highest-grossing film of the previous year in the UK, and scored 10 award recognitions, winning a pair for best costume and set decoration.