Fans Call for Custody of Person Who Grabbed Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande at Wicked premiere
Ariana Grande attended an event in Singapore for the regional premiere of Wicked: For Good

Devoted supporters of Ariana Grande are demanding that a man who breached a fence and touched the performer during the recent Wicked: For Good launch be arrested or removed from Singapore.

A widely shared clip depicts the Australian man bypassing media personnel and charging at Grande while the cast walked down a promenade accompanied by supporters.

Fellow actress Cynthia Erivo immediately pulled the surprised performer away from Mr Wen, who was observed being escorted out of the event by security officers.

Mr Wen posted on Instagram late on Thursday that he was "free after being arrested", though court documents revealed that he was scheduled to appear on the next day. It is not clear if he was faced legal action.

Record of Incidents

This is part of a pattern for Mr Wen, who calls himself a "Notorious Troublemaker", has crashed a concert or event. His Instagram profile features recordings of him disrupting other celebrity events, including jumping on stage at Katy Perry's Sydney show in June this year and in a comparable manner during The Chainsmokers performance in the same location last winter.

"Measures must be taken enforced against him as this is clearly a legal violation," wrote an Instagram follower, in a reply to a video Mr Wen shared of his act.

"You've done this repeatedly... how are you not behind bars?" another Instagram user wrote.

Supporters Express Concern Over the Star's Well-being

Several followers accused Mr Wen for "re-traumatising" Grande, who had revealed suffering from PTSD after a devastating incident at the end of her 2017 show in Manchester, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds.

"Ariana has been through so many scary things... and at her Manchester concert and you thought it would be fun to jump the barricade?" commented a further response on Instagram.

A number of attendees also questioned guards at the gathering for not being sufficiently alert; while others demanded online networks to ban Mr Wen's videos.

Aftermath and Event Details

In videos circulating online, Grande looked startled when she was touched by the man. Her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be spotted reassuring her while Mr Wen was removed by staff.

Grande has not commented on the situation, and the rest of the event carried on uninterrupted.

Fans at Wicked premiere
Hundreds of Singapore attendees had queued up to see the actors of Wicked

Hundreds of attendees had congregated in a sea of emerald and rose at the Wicked: For Good regional premiere in a Singapore mall, including several who had waited for as long as eight hours before it started.

The movie, to be released on 21 November, is the follow-up of a dual version of the acclaimed stage show Wicked, which centers on the unlikely friendship between two contrasting witches.

The production itself is a adaptation of the classic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Grande, who portrays the benevolent sorceress Glinda, was dressed in a champagne pink glittering gown at the event while Erivo, who plays the Elphaba, wore a black tube gown embroidered with roses.

They were alongside co-star Jeff Goldblum.

The first movie, Wicked, was the top-earning movie of last year in the UK, and scored 10 Oscar nominations, securing several for outstanding attire and production design.

Christopher Foster
Christopher Foster

Elara is a design enthusiast and cultural commentator with a passion for minimalist aesthetics and sustainable innovations.