Person Who Grabbed Ariana Grande at Premiere Banned from Singapore
An Australian man that leaped over a barricade and reached for celebrity Ariana Grande has been deported and prohibited from Singapore.
Johnson Wen, twenty-six, was sentenced to more than a week in prison for being a public nuisance and has now been "prohibited from returning to Singapore," the country's border control informed local media.
He forced his way through camera crews and rushed toward the actress and singer, who was participating in the Asian debut for the musical adaptation on 13 November. Co-performer Cynthia Erivo wrestled him away from Grande.
The individual has a record of interrupting performances and celebrity events, including rushing the stage at a Katy Perry performance in Sydney in June this year.
The event sparked outrage in Singapore, with many accusing him of causing further distress to the star.
The celebrity has discussed suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a terrorist bombing at her performance in the UK city in spring of 2017 resulted in the deaths of 22 individuals and hurt numerous attendees.
Throughout the court proceedings, the judge was informed he had made efforts to breach on the film's premiere twice, according to regional reports.
He then made a second attempt to cross the barriers. Event security stopped him and restrained him.
He then uploaded videos thanking Grande for permitting his access and said he was "released."
Law enforcement arrested him the following day and brought charges against him with disorderly conduct, to which he confessed.
The Court Judge Christopher Goh was cited by a news outlet as remarking that Wen was "attention seeking", commenting that he was incorrect to think he would not experience repercussions.
The actress has not spoken about the incident.
The co-star mentioned the incident to a media outlet, stating that she "simply desired to make sure my colleague was safe."
"I believe he had no intention to us harm, but you cannot be certain with such situations, and I sought to confirm that she was alright. That was my initial reaction," she said.
