Was Ariana Grande attacked in Singapore? Man guilty of jumping on singer charged with being a public nuisance in the country

Johnson Wen, the man who grabbed Ariana Grande in Singapore, has been charged with being a public nuisance.

On November 14, BBC News reported that Johnson Wen has been charged with being a public nuisance in Singapore for grabbing singer Ariana Grande. Local media reports that Wen intends to plead guilty in court. If proven guilty, he could be charged a fine of up to S$2000 ($1540).

On Thursday, November 13, singer Ariana Grande was attacked in Singapore during the Asian premiere of her upcoming film, Wicked: For Good. A 26-year-old Australian man, Johnson Wen, jumped over the barricade and rushed at the singer on the red carpet, before grabbing her all of a sudden. The incident was shot on camera and went viral online.

Wen goes by the name Pyjama Man on Instagram and is often spotted trying to get close to celebrities. This is not the first time he has been seen doing the same, as he has previously made his way in concerts of The Weeknd, Katy Perry, and the Chainsmokers. He also shared such videos on Instagram, including disrupting Perry's concert in June this year and the Chainsmokers' show in December last year.

After the Ariana Grande incident on Thursday, Wen took to his Instagram to write "free after being arrested", allegedly referring to the fiasco. When Wen jumped to grab Grande, her co-star Cynthia Erivo was seen pushing the singer away from him. The actress appeared shocked by the incident in the viral videos shared online, with Erivo and Michelle Yeoh comforting her.

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Ariana Grande has previously suffered from PTSD over the 2017 Manchester bombing at her concert

"Wicked" Australian Premiere - Source: Getty

Ariana Grande has previously opened up about facing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) after the 2017 bombing at one of her shows in Manchester. 116 people were physically injured, while 22 people died during the bombing. In an interview with British Vogue in 2018, Grande said:

"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."

Grande was also vocal about her struggles with anxiety following the incident, adding:

"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 [in September 2017] it was the most severe I think it’s ever been."

The latest incident with Johnson Wen jumping on her and trying to grab and pull her close took place during the premiere of Wicked: For Good, set to hit theatres on November 21. The film is a sequel to the commercially successful first part, Wicked, where Ariana Grande played Glinda. The first instalment was the highest grosser in the UK and received 10 Academy Award nominations, winning two for Best Costume and Production Design.

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As of now, the cast and crew are on a world tour to promote Wicked: For Good ahead of its release. The next and final stop will be New York.

Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar