The fan who grabbed Ariana Grande at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good has been sentenced to nine days in prison.
On Friday, Johnson Wen was charged with being a public nuisance, for which he pleaded guilty. He was then found guilty by the court, according to the BBC. The incident in question happened the previous day, when Wen jumped the barricade at Universal Studios Singapore, charged toward Grande, and put his arm around her as she walked the red carpet.
Clips showed Grande visibly shaken as Cynthia Erivo got between them and yelled as security guards pulled the Australian man from Grande.
Wen’s trial took place on Monday, during which the court heard how he attempted to crash the movie premiere not once, but twice. Apparently, after he was escorted out of the event, he tried again to get over the barricades, leading security to pin him down.
Wen posted his own video of the incident, writing, “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.” He also shared an update after the event. “I’m free after being arrested,” he wrote on his IG Story.
According to the outlet, the prosecutors wanted Wen to receive a week’s worth of jail time, labeling him as a “serial intruder” who “publicized his behaviour to gain popularity online.” The 26-year-old didn’t have representation in court and told the judge that he would “not do it again.”
While he will only be incarcerated for nine days, under Singapore’s public nuisance law, he could have received a sentence of up to three months, been fined up to S$2,000 (£1,167; $1,537), or both.
Grande hasn’t yet commented on the incident, but Erivo appeared to refer to it during a Screen Actors Guild viewing of Wicked on Saturday.
"And we have come through some shit. We have come through some stuff in our lives, in our daily workings," Erivo said, per Entertainment Weekly. "I mean, fuck, even this last week. Let's be honest, for fuck's sakes, we've had to really deal with some stuff, and this movie has allowed us to really grow as people, as friends, as sisters, as artists, as actresses."
Wen has made a name for himself by crashing events, including jumping on stages with Katy Perry and The Weeknd over the summer. He’s reportedly also banned from some stadiums in Australia and has been charged with fines due to his behavior.
