Cynthia Erivo leaps to Ariana Grande’s defence as fan lunges at her during Wicked: For Good premiere

Olivia Gantzer

By Olivia Gantzer


Published: 13/11/2025

- 18:43

The Wicked star appeared terrified as a crazed fan charged at her

Wicked star Cynitha Erivo raced to protect Ariana Grande during a premiere on Thursday for the second part of the franchise.

English actress and singer Ms Erivo, 38, automatically leapt to action during the Singapore event when a frenzied fan sprinted towards Ms Grande, 32.


In a video circulating online, the man, who seems to be infamously known for crashing star-studded events, lunched at the US singer and flung his arm around her as she struggled to leave his grasp during the promotional event for Wicked: For Good.

Ms Erivo bravely jumped in between her co-star and the man, blocking him from the singer and appearing to shout at him.

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A fan lunged at Ariana Grande during the premiere

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Ms Erivo, who stars as Elphaba in the Wicked films, kept the man at a distance from Ms Grande before security guards stepped in and pulled him away.

It is understood the man in question was soon identified as notorious red carper crasher Johnson Wen, who is also known as Pyjama Man on social media.

Previous videos show him ambushing other famous faces such as Katy Perry and The Weeknd.

Sharing clips of the moment to his Instagram story, he penned: “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You."

Ariana Grande

The fan flung his arm around Ariana Grande

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Clips he’s shared before the concerning moment showed the man telling fans it is his “dream” to meet Ms Grande.

He later shared with social media followers he was now “free” after being dragged away by security.

The premiere in Singapore is the only Asian location in the film’s international tour ahead of the release of part two, For Good, next weekend.

Many furious fans took to the comment section of his social media to express their outrage over his actions.

Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo sprung into action to protect Ariana Granda

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The official account of Wicked Musical Brazil was among them, with a message from the page reading: "Do you think this is okay? This is sick! It ruined the experience for fans who dreamed of this moment and put lives at risk. All for pure ego! Seek help."

"You literally assaulted her. This isn’t a flex, it’s a crime. Shame on you!" a second penned.

Someone else noted: "After all the trauma Ari has been through, this is beyond disrespectful.

"Not just to her, but to the cast and to all the fans. It’s literally infuriating. You should be ashamed."

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande attended the Singapore leg of the Wicked: For Good tour on Thursday

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Another wrote: "This whole page is about harassing these ppl. why can’t u respect them??"

"Are you happy now? Does it bring you joy to disturb celebrities? That’s sad," someone else shared.

"You literally assaulted her… You messed with the wrong fandom," another echoed.

Others questioned why social media platforms allow the man to share his frightening actions on his page.

"@instagram why is this person allowed to continually post videos of himself assaulting/harassing people? It’s distressing and disgusting and unlawful. @instagram Please make him go away," one pleaded.

"This is horrible why are you proud of doing this? Why do you make it your content just for clout," one more asked. (sic)