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In viral clips of the incident from the movie's premiere in Singapore on Thursday (Nov 13), Cynthia Erivo is seen forcefully defending Ariana Grande from the man before security rushed in.
Wicked: For Good actress Cynthia Erivo protecting co-star Ariana Grande from Johnson Wen, a serial event crasher, at the movie premiere at Universal Studios Singapore on Nov 13, 2025. (Screengrab: TikTok/@galafr)
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Amid the chaos that's ensued after serial event crasher Johnson Wen ambushed Ariana Grande at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good, fans have praised co-star Cynthia Erivo's quick reflexes.
Wen, an Australian national infamous for similar pranks on other celebrities, was captured in now-viral clips leaping over the barricade to bypass security guards at Universal Studios Singapore on Thursday (Nov 13) evening.
He is seen dashing up to Grande, before forcefully putting his arm around her, while jumping up and down, leaving the petite actress visibly frozen in shock.
Erivo, despite standing next to co-star Michelle Yeoh, instantly leaps across Yeoh to defend Grande. She shoves Wen away, while Yeoh pulls Grande into her arms.
The two older actresses then huddle around Grande to check if she's okay before continuing their walk on the yellow carpet.
At the same time, security guards are seen pulling Wen away from the women and pinning him to the ground before escorting him out.
Online reactions to the incident have applauded Erivo's quick actions and courage, while slamming the lax security.
"Their security has very slow reaction time I would say," read a comment on a Reddit thread with over 17,000 upvotes.
"Cynthia is in such protector, big sister mode, and check out her guns! As someone who freezes in tough situations, I appreciate people who react quickly," said another, commenting on Erivo's muscles, evident in clips that show her putting her arm between Grande and Wen.
Jeff Goldblum, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh and Jon M Chu on the “yellow carpet” at Universal Studios Singapore for Wicked: For Good premiere event on Nov 13, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
A Redditor also referenced the fatal shooting of YouTuber Christina Grimmie in 2016 while she was signing autographs after a concert, lambasting security at Wicked's movie premiere for "slacking" and "allowing someone to get that close".
"Luckily it was just an unhinged fan with no boundaries and not someone with violent intentions," they wrote.
Wen goes by the social media handle Pyjama Man, and has made several videos in the past of him rushing towards artistes like Katy Perry and The Weeknd.
His exploits so far have occured in numerous countries around the world including India in 2023 which saw him invading the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch in Ahmedabad during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo on the yellow carpet at Universal Studios Singapore for Wicked: For Good premiere event on Nov 13, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
Meanwhile, other netizens admitted they'd changed their mind about Grande and Erivo's tight bond, which has been seen by some as a cringe display of sisterhood.
"Honestly, until this video, I thought their friendship was just PR for Wicked, but this woman (Erivo) was ready to bash that (person's) face in for Ari," one said.
"Given Ari has trauma with crazies with her concert having been bombed before, what Cynthia did was so kind," said another.
Grande has openly talked about her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety after 22 people died in a bombing at her 2017 Manchester concert.
