Man Who Approached Ariana Grande on the occasion of Film Launch Banned from Singapore
An individual of Australian nationality who vaulted across a fence and grabbed Hollywood star Ariana Grande has been deported and prohibited from Singapore.
Johnson Wen, aged 26, was handed a penalty to nine days in detention for disrupting public order and has now been "prohibited from returning to Singapore," Singaporean immigration authorities told Singaporean press.
Wen pushed through camera crews and approached aggressively the celebrity, who was present at the regional launch for Wicked: For Good on the thirteenth of November. Co-performer Cynthia Erivo wrestled him away from Grande.
Wen has a history of interrupting performances and celebrity events, including rushing the stage at a Katy Perry performance in Sydney in June this year.
The incident sparked outrage in Singapore, with many accusing him of triggering past trauma for the singer.
The singer has discussed suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a terrorist bombing at her performance in the English city in spring of 2017 resulted in the deaths of over twenty people and affected hundreds.
During Wen's trial, the judge was informed he had attempted to intrude on the movie's debut on two occasions, according to regional reports.
He then made a another effort to cross the barriers. Event security stopped him and pinned him down.
The man subsequently shared video clips thanking Grande for letting him on the carpet and said he was "released."
Police took him into custody the subsequent day and brought charges against him with disorderly conduct, to which the man admitted guilt.
The Presiding Judge the judicial official was quoted by a news outlet as saying that the man sought attention, commenting that he was wrong to believe he would not face any penalties.
Grande has not commented on the situation.
Erivo mentioned the event to a media outlet, saying that she "only aimed to make sure my co-star was secure."
"I think he didn't mean us danger, but you never know with those things, and I wanted to ensure that she was fine. That was my immediate response," she commented.
