The man who grabbed Ariana Grande at the Wicked premiere has been charged | Evil: for good

A Singapore court has charged the man who grabbed singer Ariana Grande during the premiere of Wicked: For Good on Thursday night with being a public nuisance.

Video footage shows Johnson Wayne jumping over a barrier at Universal Studios Singapore and lunging at Grande on the red carpet. Grande’s co-star Cynthia Erivo immediately jumped in to help protect her and Wayne was whisked away.

Local media reported that Wen, 26, an Australian citizen, intended to plead guilty and could be fined up to S$2,000 (£1,168).

Wayne posts regularly on Instagram under the name pajamamann, where his merchandising stock is taking over concert stages, including concerts by Katy Perry and The Weeknd. Footage of him approaching Grande led to significant backlash, with many commentators calling his actions a criminal offense.

Grande and her colleagues are scheduled to soon conclude their massive promotional tour for the second part of the film, which will be released on November 21. The review embargo will be lifted on Tuesday, and early reactions point to the possibility of repeat Oscar nominations for the two stars.

Red carpet invasions have become increasingly uncommon as security has tightened over recent years. In 2007, podcaster Silke Siben strapped herself in front of Hugh Grant at the premiere of his romantic comedy Music and Lyrics. Firefighters later freed the couple.

Bradley Cooper was assaulted on the red carpet in 2014 by a Ukrainian TV prankster, who buried his head in the actor’s pants, after giving Will Smith an unwanted kiss at the Moscow premiere of Men in Black 3 in 2012. Also in 2012, Kim Kardashian was microbombed at a red carpet party for the launch of her perfume by a PETA activist who called her a “fur snob.”