Man Who Grabbed Ariana Grande during Film Launch Prohibited from Singapore
A man from Australia that leaped over a barricade and reached for Hollywood star Ariana Grande has been deported and barred from Singapore.
Johnson Wen, 26, was handed a penalty to nine days in jail for being a public nuisance and has now been "barred from re-entering Singapore," the country's border control told Singaporean press.
Wen pushed beyond security and rushed toward the celebrity, who was attending the Asian debut for Wicked: For Good on November 13. Co-performer Cynthia Erivo pulled him back from Grande.
The individual has a record of disrupting concerts and star-studded occasions, including leaping onto the platform at the pop star's Australian show in this summer.
The event sparked outrage in Singapore, with several individuals saying he of triggering past trauma for the singer.
The celebrity has discussed dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after a suicide bomb attack at her show in Manchester in several years ago killed 22 individuals and hurt numerous attendees.
Throughout the court proceedings, the court heard he had made efforts to breach on the film's premiere multiple times, according to local news sources.
He then made a second attempt to breach security. Protection personnel prevented him and restrained him.
The man subsequently shared recordings expressing gratitude to the star for permitting his access and said he was "at liberty."
Authorities took him into custody the following day and brought charges against him with disorderly conduct, to which Wen pleaded guilty.
The Presiding Judge Christopher Goh was cited by a news outlet as remarking that he was looking for publicity, noting that he was mistaken to believe he would not face any penalties.
The actress has not spoken about the case.
The co-star mentioned the incident to a media outlet, saying that she "only aimed to make sure my friend was safe."
"I believe he didn't intend us harm, but you never know with these incidents, and I sought to make sure that she was fine. That was my immediate response," she commented.
