Cynthia Erivo talks about the time she protected Ariana Grande
During the Singapore premiere of 'Wicked: For Good', a fan jumped the security barrier and lunged at Ariana Grande
During her appearance on the 'Today' show, actress and singer Cynthia Erivo revealed details of the terrifying moment when a man stormed onto the yellow carpet at the Singapore premiere of 'Wicked: For Good' and lunged at her co-star, Ariana Grande.
The incident, which occurred on the 13th In November, he interrupted the glamorous gala attended by stars like Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum. Johnson Wen, an Australian social media personality known as "The Pajama Man," jumped over the barricade, pushed past photographers, and grabbed a visibly shaken Ariana Grande. "I wasn't thinking about anything," Erivo said. "I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe." Within seconds, Erivo, with the help of security, intervened to protect Grande. Although Erivo was conciliatory, stating, “I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt us,” she also emphasized the seriousness of the act: “But you never know with these things, and I wanted to make sure she was okay. That was my first instinct.” Wen was not only arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, but was later found guilty and sentenced to nine days in jail. He even bragged about the incident on social media, thanking Grande “for letting me jump with you on the yellow carpet.” This behavior sparked outrage, especially among Ariana Grande’s fans, who condemned Wen’s actions and expressed concern for the singer, who has spoken openly about the anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder she suffers from following the 2017 Manchester bombing. Support for Grande wasn’t limited to Erivo. Marissa Bode, another cast member who plays Nessarose, called Wen a “fan and a loser” in a scathing TikTok video, bitterly criticizing the pursuit of notoriety at the expense of a person’s safety.

