Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.
It’s good to have a friend like Cynthia Erivo.
On Nov. 13, the Wicked: For Good actor came to the rescue of co-star Ariana Grande on the yellow carpet for the Singapore premiere of the film after a man jumped over the barricade, ran over to Grande and forcibly put an arm around her.
Video recordings posted on social media show Erivo quickly stepping in to separate the individual from Grande while security was present. Security removed the man shortly after. Erivo could be seen comforting Grande along with actor Michelle Yeoh. Grande appeared to be shaken by the ordeal.
The man who jumped over the barricade has since been charged by a Singapore court with being a public nuisance. If found guilty, he could be fined up to $2,000 in Singapore dollars (about $2,160 Cdn).
The carpet crasher was identified by several news outlets as Johnson Wen, a niche social media personality known online as Pyjama Man. Wen’s notorious for crashing red carpets and other events, having gone viral for similar stunts with recording artists Katy Perry and Canadian musician The Weeknd.
Backlash against post
A video of the stunt was posted to Wen’s Instagram profile, with the caption, “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You ❤️.” In the comment section below, people have been shaming the move, calling it assault and harassment. Multiple comments invite people to report the account to Instagram.
“Do you think this is okay? This is sick!” reads a comment with more than 9,000 likes by a Wicked fan page. “After all the trauma Ari has been through, this is beyond disrespectful,” reads another comment with more than 2,000 likes.
The media tour for Wicked: For Good continues with a stop in New York on Nov. 17.
The film picks up where 2024’s Wicked left off, completing the story told in the original stage musical of the same name about the ill-fated friendship between Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, set in the Land of Oz.
Wicked: For Good will be in theatres starting Nov. 21.
