An Australian man was sentenced Monday to nine days in jail after he rushed the red carpet and grabbed pop star Ariana Grande during the premiere of Wicked: For Good. The incident on Nov. 13 at Universal Studios Singapore shocked attendees and drew widespread attention.
Court Says Behavior was ‘Premeditated’
The 26-year-old, identified as Johnson Wen, pleaded guilty to a single count of being a public nuisance. Judge Christopher Goh said Wen’s actions were “premeditated” and showed a clear “pattern of behaviour, which suggests that you will do it again.”
“You seem to be attention-seeking, thinking only of yourself and not the safety of others when committing these acts,” Goh told Wen. The judge added that there must be a “sufficiently deterrent sentence… to impress upon the accused that such conduct is criminal in nature and will not be condoned.”
Wen argued in court that he would “stop getting in trouble.” “I would not do it again, Your Honour,” he told the judge.
Video clips from the event show Wen vaulting a barricade, sprinting toward Grande, and wrapping his arm around her as she appeared visibly startled. Her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, jumped into action — pushing Wen away as security intervened.
Wen later made a second attempt to breach security, but he was restrained by guards. According to prosecutors, he filmed and posted the incident on Instagram shortly afterward. In his post, Wen wrote: “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.” He also shared a story saying, “I’m free after being arrested.”
Court records and media reports indicate that Wen has a history of disrupting high-profile events, including multiple concert stage invasions. In sentencing him, the judge noted that this was not a one-off incident — saying that similar behavior overseas showed Wen was unlikely to stop without real consequences.
In handing down the nine-day sentence, Judge Goh said, “You should be mindful that there are always consequences for one’s actions.” He said he hoped the punishment would send a strong signal to others who might consider doing the same thing.
Grande has not publicly commented on the sentencing.