Ariana Grande faced an unexpected encounter with an overly enthusiastic fan during the red carpet event for her latest film, Wicked: For Good, in Singapore on Thursday.
As the 32-year-old star walked the carpet alongside her co-star Cynthia Erivo, aged 38, Erivo displayed quick reflexes, stepping in front of Grande when a man suddenly charged toward them.
Footage that quickly circulated on social media captured the moment the man rushed at Ariana, wrapping an arm around her as she attempted to pull away at Universal Studios.
Cynthia, portraying Elphaba in the movie, acted swiftly, positioning herself between her friend and the fan, seemingly shouting at the intruder in an effort to deter him before security could intervene.
The man, dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts with distinctive long black hair streaked with blue, was easily recognizable.
He was soon identified as Johnson Wen, also known in online circles as Pyjama Man, a notorious figure for crashing red carpet events.
Ariana Grande was ambushed by an overzealous fan while walking the red carpet at the Singapore premiere of her new film Wicked: For Good on Thursday
Ariana pictured waving to fans at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore
He has shared videos after accosting other celebrities such as Katy Perry, The Weeknd and eletronic duo The Chainsmokers in a similar manner during their gigs.
Wen shared clips from the moment on his Instagram Story, writing: ‘Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.’
Eerie clips taken before he jumped over a barricade to see Ariana show him saying it is his ‘dream’ to meet the actress.
Following the incident, Ariana looked shaken and could be seen letting out deep breaths while walking beside Cynthia down the carpet.
Ariana has previously spoken about struggling with PTSD after her concert was bombed in Manchester in 2017, leaving 22 people dead.
She told British Vogue in 2018: ‘Yeah, it’s a real thing. I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well.
‘It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss … I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience – like I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.’
In the same interview, she opened up about her ongoing struggles with anxiety.
‘I think a lot of people have anxiety, especially right now … My anxiety has anxiety. ‘I’ve always had anxiety. I’ve never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour, it was the most severe I think it’s ever been.’
The actress, 32, was walking beside her co-star Cynthia Erivo, 38, who bravely jumped in front of Ariana when she saw the man running towards them
A couple of years later in 2020, Ariana’s then-manager Scooter Braun revealed the singer was still ‘suffering’ on the three year anniversary of the bombing.
Speaking on the third anniversary of the attack, Scooter explained that the pop star was still struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Scooter, who along with Ariana visited the families and injured at the Royal Manchester Children’s hospital in the days after the attack, said: ‘She has PTSD, she’s still suffering to this day.’
Speaking nine months after the bombing, Scooter told on the Big Questions with Cal Fussman podcast, how Ariana had cried ‘for days’ after the attack.
He said: ‘When she found out that fans of hers had died she was so sad.
‘She cried for days, she felt everything – every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve. Every bit of emotion because that’s who she is.’
He recalled that the pairs’ visits to the families in the days after the attack were the ‘hardest two hours of either of our lives’.
‘After the first family I had to help her, she was distraught and I was lost. It was beyond tough. But every single time we got down we reminded each other we get to go home.
‘Our loved ones are still going to be there. That mother is never coming home, that daughter is never coming home, that son is never coming home, that dad is never coming home.’
