After rushing to defend Ariana Grande following a startling red carpet incident at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore on November 13, Cynthia Erivo has spoken out.
A fan was seen running towards Grande in the video, but Erivo stopped him and protected her co-star while the man was taken away by security. In subsequent remarks, Erivo disclosed that she responded swiftly since her first instinct was to make sure Grande was secure.
The startling incident happened when Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Erivo, and Jeff Goldblum walked the Singapore red carpet for the Wicked: For Good premiere at Universal Studios Singapore.
A man who would subsequently be identified as Johnson Wen leaped over a barricade and grabbed Grande by the shoulders as the group was moving.
In order to protect Grande, Erivo, who plays Elphaba in Wicked: For Good, swiftly moved between her co-star and the fan, shoving him away.
Erivo appeared to be ordering Wen, “Let go of her,” according to footage of the incident.
Grande was then spotted being consoled by Yeoh and Erivo as security led him out of the venue. Grande, on the other hand, seems clearly rattled by the event.
“I was really thinking, I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe,” Erivo stated, reflecting on the incident during her November 20 interview on the Today show.
“You never know with those things, and I wanted to make sure she was okay, even though I’m confident he didn’t mean any damage to us. My initial reaction was that,” she continued.
Erivo’s protective nature towards her co-star was praised by fans. One commenter said, “Seeing these stories and being reminded that decency can win is wonderful and affirming.”
Others discussed Erivo’s positive impression of Wen. “I’m positive he had no malicious intent towards us.” You lovely woman, Cynthia… Another remarked, “He definitely meant harm.”
The perpetrator faces repercussions and has a history of upsetting celebrities.
Johnson Wen, also known online as Pyjama Man, has a history of disrupting celebrity events, including pranks involving The Weeknd, Katy Perry, and The Chainsmokers.
With the comment, “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You,” Wen shared a video from the Singapore incident on Instagram.
Wen wrote again shortly after, stating that he was no longer under custody. Wen was found guilty of being a public nuisance and given a nine-day jail sentence, according to The New York Times.
Fans of Ariana Grande were especially concerned about the event because the award-winning singer had previously talked about having PTSD after the 2017 assault at her Manchester show that claimed 22 lives.
She discussed the fallout from the horrific event in a 2018 interview with British Vogue.
Indeed, it is a genuine phenomenon. Everyone there went through a great deal of it, including my fans and the families I know.
It’s difficult to discuss because so many individuals have experienced such a great loss. I feel as like I shouldn’t even be discussing my own story.
Grande remarked, “I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”
Days after Cynthia Erivo became ill on the difficult publicity tour for Wicked: For Good, Ariana Grande just disclosed that she had COVID.
As the Wicked: For Good press tour came to an end, Ariana Grande also revealed that she had tested positive for COVID-19, according to People magazine.
The 32-year-old singer and actress posted a picture from her recent performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Instagram Stories on November 20 with the comment, “moments before Covid.”
The post was made soon after Variety revealed that Grande would miss upcoming Q&A panels for the movie and cancel her scheduled appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, however her co-star Cynthia Erivo would still be there.
The announcement came shortly after Universal Pictures claimed that Erivo was “not feeling well” and had lost her voice, so she skipped the majority of press appearances at the New York City premiere.
Both women participated in a brief livestream and posed for pictures on the red carpet, although Grande made light of Erivo’s inability to talk.
Later on, Erivo did make a brief remark, but her voice sounded raspy to fans.
Many admirers voiced their worries over Grande’s well-being. “I was terrified of that. She and Cynthia have been sounding awful for a long time.” One reader said, “Hopefully, it’s mild and she will recover soon.”
Another said, “Hope she’ll be okay; it can be mild for most but devastating or deadly for others.”
On social media, internet users discussed Cynthia Erivo’s remarks regarding safeguarding Ariana Grande.
