Followers Call for Detainment of Person Who Touched Ariana Grande
Devoted fans of Ariana Grande are urging that a man who breached a barricade and seized the performer during yesterday's Wicked: For Good debut be arrested or expelled from Singapore.
A widely shared clip shows the Australian man shoving aside media personnel and rushing toward Grande while the cast made its way down a event pathway surrounded by supporters.
Cast member Cynthia Erivo quickly guided the shocked star away from Mr Wen, who was observed being removed of the event by event staff.
Mr Wen posted on Instagram late on Thursday that he was "released after being taken in", though legal records indicated that he was due to be present on Friday morning. It is unknown if he was charged.
Pattern of Incidents
This is part of a pattern for Mr Wen, who labels himself a "Controversial Figure", has disrupted a performance. His Instagram feed contains clips of him disturbing other celebrity events, including jumping on stage at the artist's Sydney performance in earlier this year and in a similar way during The Chainsmokers concert in the same location last year.
"There needs to be action applied against him as this is evidently a punishable act," commented an Instagram user, in a response to a video Mr Wen posted of his actions.
"Oh wow so you do this a lot... how aren't you in jail?" another Instagram user remarked.
Fans Voice Worry Over the Star's Safety
Many supporters blamed Mr Wen for "triggering past anxiety" Grande, who had discussed experiencing trauma-related anxiety after a devastating incident at the finale of her 2017 show in Manchester, killing 22 people and harming many.
"Ariana has been through so many scary things... and at her Manchester concert and you thought it would be fun to jump the barricade?" wrote another message on Instagram.
A number of fans also faulted event staff at the Thursday event for not being sufficiently alert; while different individuals requested social media platforms to ban Mr Wen's videos.
Aftermath and Premiere Information
In clips circulating online, Grande seemed startled when she was grabbed by the man. Her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be spotted comforting her while Mr Wen was escorted away by security.
Grande has not commented on the event, and the premiere activities continued without further issues.
Many of attendees had assembled in a crowd of emerald and rose at the Wicked: For Good Asia-Pacific launch in a Singapore shopping center, including several who had queued for as long as eight hours before it started.
The movie, to be released on November 21, is the sequel of a two-part adaptation of the popular theatrical show Wicked, which centers on the surprising relationship between two contrasting sorceresses.
The musical itself is a derivative of the twentieth-century story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Grande, who plays the character Glinda Glinda, was dressed in a light pink glittering gown at the event while Erivo, who plays the Elphaba, wore a black tube gown decorated with roses.
They were alongside co-star Jeff Goldblum.
The previous installment, Wicked, was the highest-grossing film of last year in the UK, and earned 10 Academy Award nods, earning two for excellent wardrobe and production design.