‘Troll Most Hated’: Man who rushed at Ariana Grande at Wicked premiere in S’pore a serial intruder
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Australian national Johnson Wen jumped the barricade at a fan meet with the cast of Wicked: For Good on Nov 13, and was promptly caught by security.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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SINGAPORE – The adoring screams of hundreds of fans at Universal Studios Singapore on Nov 13 as the cast of Wicked: For Good
In multiple videos of the incident, which has gone viral, the man can be seen appearing to put his arm around American pop star Grande in a tight hug. a special sisterhood
The petite actress recoiled in shock, but her English co-star Cynthia Erivo – with whom she shares
He was later tossed by a member of security back over the barricade. Some fans near him protested loudly, chiding the guard for being too rough.
After the incident, the rest of the cast – including Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh – quickly huddled around Grande to check if she was okay before continuing with their walk on the yellow carpet to greet fans and sign autographs.
Footage that made its rounds online later appeared to show the barricade jumper being escorted out of the venue by security.
For the intruder, it turns out, this is not his first rodeo.
Mr Johnson Wen is a serial intruder, having disrupted numerous concerts and events, including American singer Katy Perry’s Sydney concert in June, as well as the men’s 100m finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 25-year-old Australian has an Instagram account where he documents his antics, with his bio describing himself as the “2023 World Cup Final Pitch Invader” and “Troll Most Hated”, alongside a link to solicit donations to pay his bills, without elaborating what bills these are.
The GoFundMe page set up by Mr Johnson Wen, asking supporters for donations to “pay off all my bills”. A link is included on his Instagram account.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOFUNDME
The first post on the account, dated Nov 9, 2020, shows him screaming and running up a table in an unidentified mall before he begins to do the floss – a dance move.
In an interview with Australian TV news outlet 9News on June 10, 2025, Mr Wen was said to be unemployed and living at a backpackers’ hostel.
Banned from Accor Stadium in Sydney after he intruded onstage during Canadian singer The Weeknd’s concert in October 2024, he has racked up an estimated A$20,000 (S$17,000) in fines, the news channel reported.
Following the stunt he pulled at Perry’s concert, Mr Wen promised it would be his last brush with the law, but his latest antics prove otherwise.
Mr Johnson Wen (in white), an Australian national, has reportedly racked up an estimated A$20,000 (S$17,000) in fines for his antics.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Grande has spoken about her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety following a bombing at her Manchester concert in May 2017, which left 22 people dead.
“I’ve always had anxiety,” she told British Vogue in 2018. “I’ve never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour (in September 2017), it was the most severe I think it’s ever been.”
Wicked: For Good’s Nov 13 premiere at the theme park in Resorts World Sentosa is the only Asian stop in the film’s international promotional tour that ends in New York City on Nov 17.
Its stars – including Grande, Erivo, Yeoh and American actor Jeff Goldblum – and director Jon M. Chu were dressed to the nines to greet fans, who had paid more than $90 to enter the ticketed event.
