An Australian man who jumped over a barricade and grabbed Hollywood singer Ariana Grande at a Singapore film premiere has been deported and barred from re-entering the country, authorities confirmed.
Johnson Wen, 26, was sentenced to nine days in prison for causing a public nuisance, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) told local media.
The incident occurred on 13 November at the Asian premiere of Wicked: For Good, when Wen pushed past photographers and charged at Grande. Co-star Cynthia Erivo intervened and wrestled him away from the singer.
Wen has a history of disrupting concerts and celebrity events, including jumping on stage at Katy Perry’s Sydney concert in June this year. During his trial, the court heard that he had attempted to intrude on the premiere twice before being stopped by security.
Following the incident, Wen posted videos online thanking Grande for letting him on the carpet and claiming he was “free.” He was arrested the next day and pleaded guilty to public nuisance.
District Judge Christopher Goh described Wen’s actions as “attention-seeking” and noted that he was wrong to assume there would be no consequences.
The incident sparked outrage in Singapore, with many accusing Wen of re-traumatising Grande, who has previously spoken about experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder following the 2017 Manchester concert bombing that killed 22 people and injured hundreds.
Grande has not publicly commented on the case. Erivo told NBC that her first instinct was to ensure her friend’s safety, adding, “I’m sure he didn’t mean us harm, but you never know with those things, and I wanted to make sure that she was OK.”
