November 24, (THEWILL) — An Australian man, Johnson Wen, who grabbed American singer and actress Ariana Grande at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good, has been deported and permanently banned from re-entering Singapore.
Wen was charged with causing a public nuisance and sentenced to nine days in prison. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) confirmed that he has since been barred from returning to the country.
During the incident on 13 November, Wen broke through a group of photographers and grabbed Grande by the shoulders in an apparent attempt to take a photo. The singer appeared visibly shaken before her co-star Cynthia Erivo, and security personnel intervened.
In court, it was revealed that Wen had attempted to enter the premiere venue twice. He also has a history of breaching security at celebrity events, and often shares videos of himself disrupting concerts and red-carpet appearances on Instagram.
The incident sparked widespread outrage in Singapore, with many accusing Wen of re-traumatising Grande, who has previously spoken about suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds.
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
