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An Australian man who breached a barricade and grabbed actress Ariana Grande at a "Wicked: For Good" premiere in Singapore has been charged with being a public nuisance. A now-viral video depicts Johnson Wen pushing past photographers and charging at Grande as the cast made their way down the yellow carpet. Co-star Cynthia Erivo was seen intervening, wrestling the stunned actress away from Wen.
The 26-year-old had posted on Instagram late on Thursday that he was "free after being arrested". However, on Friday afternoon, he was charged with being a public nuisance by a Singapore court. The incident caused massive outrage in the city state.
Local media reports say Mr Wen, who was unrepresented, intends to plead guilty.
This is not the first time Mr Wen, who describes himself as a "Troll Most Hated", has invaded a concert or event. His Instagram feed includes clips of him disrupting other celebrity events, including jumping on stage at Katy Perry's Sydney concert in June this year. He did the same at a concert by The Chainsmokers last December.
If found guilty, he may be fined up to S$2000 ($1540).
Fans had earlier called for him to be arrested and deported. Several accused Mr Wen of "re-traumatising" Grande, who has spoken of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after a suicide bomb attack at the end of her May 2017 concert in Manchester, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds.
Some fans also criticised security officers at the Thursday event for not being vigilant enough; while others called for social media platforms to ban Mr Wen's videos.
In clips circulating online, Grande appeared shocked when she was grabbed by the intruder. Her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Erivo can be seen comforting her while Mr Wen was escorted away by security.
Grande has not commented on the incident, and the rest of the event proceeded as planned.
