Cynthia Erivo Says Shielding Ariana Grande From Aggressive Man at ‘Wicked’ Premiere Was ‘Instinct’

Viral footage from the Wicked premiere in Singapore captured a startling moment when a man breached the barricade and lunged toward Ariana Grande on the red carpet. Actress Cynthia Erivo immediately stepped in, physically removing the intruder from Grande and keeping her protected until security arrived.

The man was later identified as 26‑year‑old Johnson Wen. Videos show him jumping over a barrier and charging straight for the pop star, putting an arm around her neck and clutching her shoulder. Erivo pried him away while shouting for him to let Grande go — an action many praised as swift and fearless. In an interview with Today (Thursday, Nov. 20), Erivo described her response as instinctive.

“I wasn’t really thinking. I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe,” Erivo told host Savannah Guthrie. “That was my first instinct.”

By the time security intervened, Erivo had largely separated Wen from Grande and took a protective posture, holding the singer close until officers could remove the intruder. Erivo added that the two have consistently looked out for one another during the press run.

Singapore police arrested Wen and he was subsequently sentenced to nine days in jail after being charged with causing a public nuisance. Reports note this was not his first brush with the law: he was previously arrested earlier this year for stage‑crashing a Katy Perry concert and making unwanted contact.

The Singapore premiere was the final stop on the international press tour ahead of the film’s theatrical release the following day, Friday (Nov. 21). The follow‑up, Wicked: For Good, arrives nearly a year after the first installment, which set box‑office records and won Oscars for costume and production design.

Watch Erivo’s full conversation with Today in the video above.

Source