On Friday, Johnson Wen was charged with being a public nuisance in a Singapore court after rushing onto the yellow carpet at the Wicked: For Good premiere in the country and grabbing Ariana Grande. Today, the BBC reports that Wen has been sentenced to nine days in prison for the stunt. On Friday, it was reported that Wen could have faced up to three months in jail and a fine of $2,000 in Singaporean dollars (about $1,537 in USD).
The BBC reports that prosecutors sought a week in sentencing, arguing (quite reasonably) that he is a “serial intruder.” Wen’s Instagram shows him also jumping on the stage at concerts by Katy Perry, The Weeknd, and the Chainsmokers, as well as running on the field at multiple soccer games. After the incident last week with Grande, Wen similarly posted a clip of the viral incident with the caption, “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.” However, he was seemingly more contrite at his sentencing, where, per the outlet, Wen said he would “not do it again.”
Both fans and outlets like the BBC noted that Grande has spoken openly about the trauma she experienced when her Dangerous Woman show was bombed in Manchester, U.K. in 2017, killing 22 and injuring hundreds more. Both the BBC and The Hollywood Reporter have noted that Wen faced allegations of “re-traumatizing” Grande with the stunt. Grande herself has not publicly spoken about the situation, but she did appear at the Governor’s Awards in Los Angeles this past weekend.
