Security lapse at The Wicked: For Good Singapore premiere as known stagecrasher targets Ariana Grande

The Singapore premiere of The Wicked: For Good was marred by a serious security breach on 13 November when notorious stagecrasher Johnson Wen, who operates under the online alias "Pyjama Man", rushed at Ariana Grande during the yellow carpet event at Universal Studios Singapore (USS).

Wen vaulted a barricade and physically approached the American pop star and actress, putting his arm around her and jumping alongside her, before being restrained and removed by security. CNA Lifestyle reported that Wen was escorted out of the venue and exited Sentosa by train shortly after.

Grande’s co-stars, including Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, and director Jon M. Chu, appeared visibly startled. Erivo was seen intervening immediately as Wen made contact with Grande.

This incident is the latest in a pattern of disruptive stunts by Wen. In June 2025, he ran on stage with a visibly shocked Katy Perry during a concert.

In August, he breached security again by interrupting a performance by The Weeknd before being forcibly removed. In 2023, he gained international attention for running onto the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad.

Despite his repeated infractions, Wen continues to share his stunts online. Shortly after the Singapore incident, he posted a video of himself rushing Grande, captioned: “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You ❤️”.

His post was met with immediate backlash. Social media users and fans condemned his behaviour as invasive and dangerous, especially given Grande’s well-documented history with trauma stemming from the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 22 people.

“Do you think this is okay? This is sick! It ruined the experience for fans who dreamed of this moment and put lives at risk. All for pure ego! Seek help,” one commenter wrote.

Another added, “After all the trauma Ari has been through, this is beyond disrespectful. Not just to her, but to the cast and to all the fans. It’s literally infuriating. You should be ashamed.”

A third user stated, “That was unnecessary. You’re not a fan. Have you done the same thing to several celebrities and still haven’t stopped? It’s disrespectful and ridiculous that you behave this way.”

Reddit users were similarly scathing. One questioned the failure of security, writing: “That guy ran 10 metres and they didn’t see him until he was on her. In that time she could’ve been murdered. Hope they’re fired tbh. This is nuts.”

Another user, commenting on Wen’s social media behaviour, said, “He’s now flexing about it on IG. This seemed more aggressive than the concert ones. He was literally tugging at her neck.”

Fans also noted that the breach disrupted the energy of the event, which had earlier featured a fan meet at Weave in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). One Redditor observed, “He robbed special moments from the fans. After that, she was just surrounded by detail and did her interview quickly, went on stage briefly and left.”

Ariana Grande, who has previously spoken openly about suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the Manchester bombing, appeared momentarily frozen during the incident but later continued to engage with fans.

In a 2018 British Vogue interview, she said, “It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But, yeah, it’s a real thing.” Fans expressed concern that this breach could cause a setback in her recovery.

“As a huge fan of Ariana, I am relieved to see she is physically safe but know this was likely triggering for her,” one fan wrote. “She’s also spoken about how she’s only recently started feeling joy in her projects. I hope this is not too much of a setback.”

As of now, neither Grande nor event organisers have issued a formal statement. However, the incident has renewed calls for stringent enforcement at celebrity appearances and greater accountability for repeat offenders like Wen.

The ease with which Wen accessed Grande, despite his public track record, has raised concerns about event security standards and whether international event venues are taking known threats seriously enough.