Man Who Approached Ariana Grande on the occasion of Premiere Barred from Singapore
An individual of Australian nationality who jumped over a barricade and grabbed Hollywood star Ariana Grande has been deported and banned from Singapore.
Johnson Wen, twenty-six, was handed a penalty to more than a week in prison for disrupting public order and has now been "prohibited from returning to Singapore," the country's border control stated to news outlets.
The man shoved through camera crews and approached aggressively the celebrity, who was participating in the Asian debut for the musical adaptation on November 13. Fellow actress Cynthia Erivo pulled him back from Grande.
He has a background of causing disturbances at events and high-profile gatherings, including jumping on stage at the pop star's Australian show in June this year.
The occurrence sparked outrage in Singapore, with many accusing him of causing further distress to the star.
The pop star has mentioned dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after a suicide bomb attack at her performance in the UK city in spring of 2017 took the lives of 22 people and hurt numerous attendees.
Throughout the court proceedings, the judge was informed he had tried to gain access on the red carpet event multiple times, according to regional reports.
He then made a follow-up try to breach security. Protection personnel prevented him and restrained him.
Wen later posted recordings appreciating the celebrity for allowing his presence and said he was "released."
Police detained him the subsequent day and brought charges against him with public nuisance, to which Wen pleaded guilty.
The Presiding Judge Christopher Goh was quoted by media reports as saying that the man sought attention, noting that he was wrong to believe he would not suffer any consequences.
The singer has not spoken about the case.
Erivo spoke about the incident to the press, saying that she "simply desired to ensure my colleague was secure."
"I'm sure he had no intention to us harm, but you never know with such situations, and I wanted to confirm that she was OK. That was my initial reaction," she said.
