Cynthia Erivo breaks silence on Wicked co-star Ariana Grande’s terrifying red carpet ambush – as crazed troll is sentenced to nine days in jail for ordeal

by

Cynthia Erivo described a frightening incident that happened at the Singapore premiere of Wicked last week, where Ariana Grande was unexpectedly confronted by a disruptive fan.

Last Thursday, at the premiere of the movie Wicked: For Good—the follow-up to last year’s film adaptation of the popular musical—Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, was unexpectedly confronted by someone claiming to be a ‘troll’.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe what happened! Ariana was so scared – this guy, Johnson Wen, just ran onto the red carpet and actually bumped into her! It was awful! And Cynthia, who is the most amazing Elphaba, just lost it – she totally went past security and pushed him away! I mean, good for her, right? Apparently, he got nine days in jail for it, which honestly doesn’t seem like enough, but at least something happened! I was so worried about Ariana!

Cynthia and Ariana attended a private movie screening in Los Angeles on Saturday. Cynthia discussed how the film provides a sense of comfort and security, and briefly acknowledged a difficult situation that happened the previous week.

She explained that even just the past week has been challenging, and working on this film has been a significant experience for all of them. It’s helped them grow, not just as performers, but also as friends and as individuals.

Last week, a man known online as Pyjama Man, whose name is Johnson, bypassed security at Universal Studios and briefly grabbed Ariana, putting his arm around her as she tried to get free. Fortunately, Cynthia reacted quickly and intervened.

Cynthia quickly intervened, yelling at the intruder and stepping in front of Ariana Grande as security guards wrestled him away. Ariana was clearly upset and shaken after the incident, remaining on the floor.

Several hours later, Wen posted a disturbing selfie showing them with wide, excited eyes, gesturing towards a poster of Ariana Grande, and proudly announced, ‘I finally got to see Ariana Grande tonight!’

Even while continuing their busy promotional work, neither Ariana nor Cynthia had spoken about the incident until Cynthia gave a moving speech.

She spoke about the power of Wicked, saying it’s amazing that so many people have connected with the story and the character, and now feel seen and safe because of it.

This is the absolute highlight of my entire career, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. It wouldn’t have been possible without the person standing next to me.

‘We have come through some stuff in our lives, in our daily workings…

Honestly, even just this past week has been challenging. This film has really pushed us to confront some difficult things, and through that, we’ve grown so much – as individuals, as friends, as sisters, and as creative professionals.

Following the attack, Cynthia became a viral sensation after saving Ariana from the chaos. Fans quickly compared her heroic actions to Kevin Costner’s character in the movie The Bodyguard, and a wave of memes celebrated her bravery.

On Friday morning, fans flooded Instagram with praise for the British actress after she bravely helped her co-star, even putting herself at risk.

Someone shared a short video of what happened and wrote: ‘That’s true friendship! It was scary to watch, but it’s amazing to see a friend jump in like that. It feels like a scene from the movie The Bodyguard! It’s just surprising, considering all the security present – how did this even occur?’

Fans reacted to the post, writing things like: ‘That’s a real friend! She immediately jumped in to help without hesitation. Cynthia was incredible! She’s so good at protecting people, she could work in security if she ever wanted to leave acting.’

You don’t want to mess with a Capricorn’s friends, especially not when they’re around. They’ll go into protective mode incredibly quickly!

Someone shared a photo of Cynthia Erivo looking protective of Ariana Grande, and another commenter playfully praised Erivo’s many talents, calling her a ‘triple threat’ – and then adding even more skills to the list! They jokingly said Erivo is a singer, actress, dancer, writer, model, and a bodyguard, adding they couldn’t love her any more than they already do.

A video circulating online shows a man rushing towards Ariana Grande and wrapping his arm around her as she tried to break free outside Universal Studios in Singapore.

After the incident, the person responsible was revealed to be Johnson Wen, a well-known Australian who famously crashes red carpet events and is also known online as Pyjama Man.

He’s posted videos of himself approaching other performers – including Katy Perry, The Weeknd, and The Chainsmokers – and interacting with them during their concerts, doing the same thing he did in the recent incident.

He later posted video clips of the moment to his Instagram Story, thanking Ariana Grande for letting him join her on the yellow carpet.

Strange videos recorded before the incident show him expressing his lifelong dream of meeting the singer.

He stood under a poster of the Wicked actress and exclaimed, “This feels like a dream! It’s Ariana Grande, my best friend, and I’m actually going to meet her! I’ve been imagining this for so long!” He finished with a dramatic laugh.

He received a nine-day jail sentence on Monday. The Straits Times reported that the judge determined Wen intentionally committed the act to gain attention on social media.

Wen was also called a ‘serial intruder’ by prosecutors.

Judge Christopher Goh told Wen that his actions appeared to be motivated by a desire for attention and a disregard for the safety of others.

Read More

2025-11-18 13:19