A man who rushed at Ariana Grande during the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore has been deported from the country.
Johnson Wen, who goes by the name Pyjama Man on Instagram, leaped over a security barrier and approached the Thank U Next singer, placing his arm around her before security personnel and her co-star Cynthia Erivo stepped in at the November 13 event.
According to the Straits Times, he was placed on a flight out of the Southeast Asian nation on Sunday.
The English-language publication, based in Singapore, reports the prankster has also been banned from returning to the country.
Wen had been handed a nine-day jail sentence after admitting guilt to one count of being a public nuisance.
Prosecutors characterized Wen – who had previously pulled off similar stunts involving celebrities like Katy Perry and The Weeknd – as a “serial intruder,” with a judge ruling he had orchestrated the incident to achieve viral fame on social media.
The red carpet intruder had dropped hints about his intentions prior to the premiere.
He said, “I feel like I’m in a dream. That’s my best friend Ariana Grande and I’m going to meet her. I’ve been dreaming about that.”
He was taken into custody but subsequently posted on Instagram to “thank” Ariana. Posting a clip of the incident, he wrote, “@arianagrande @wickedmovie Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You [heart emoji].”
After the incident, he posted on his Instagram Stories, “I’m free after being arrested.”
Cynthia received widespread acclaim for her swift response to the intruder, whom she physically moved away from Ariana. She has since revealed that her actions were purely instinctive, driven by a desire to safeguard her friend.
During an appearance on Today, the 38-year-old actress recalled the moment, “I was really thinking, I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean us harm, but I just, you never know with those things and I wanted to make sure that she was okay. That was my first instinct.” The star had previously addressed the incident while discussing the deep connection she shares with Ariana.
At a special Screen Actors Guild screening hosted at the Television Academy in Los Angeles, she said, “What’s even more wonderful is the fact that there are other people who have seen themselves in this movie, in that character, and also now see themselves and feel safe.
“That, for me, is the pinnacle of what I could ever wish for from any piece of work I have ever done. And I am so glad that in order to do it, I had to look into the eyes of this person beside me.
“And we have come through some s—. We have come through some stuff in our lives, in our daily workings.
“I mean, f—, even this last week. Let’s be honest, for f—‘s sakes, we’ve had to really deal with some stuff, and this movie has allowed us to really grow as people, as friends, as sisters, as artists, as actresses.”
While Cynthia was speaking, Ariana was nodding in agreement. However, when the conversation turned to the incident in Singapore, the singer stared straight ahead before eventually becoming tearful.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
