Cynthia Erivo says backlash hurt her after protecting Grande

Actress Cynthia Erivo has described feeling that her humanity was "bastardized" by the public reaction to a viral incident in which she defended her co-star Ariana Grande from an intruder at a film premiere last year. In a new interview, Erivo reflected on the November 2025 event in Singapore and the subsequent online commentary that she says contributed to her decision not to campaign for an Oscar.

The incident occurred during the "Wicked For Good" premiere at Universal Studios Singapore when a man, later identified as Australian national Jonathan Wen, jumped a barrier and rushed toward the cast on the red carpet. Erivo recalled that as the man grabbed Grande and refused to let go, she instinctively intervened because no one else moved. She described pushing him away until security arrived. Wen was later sentenced to nine days in prison for public nuisance and banned from Singapore.

While many praised Erivo's quick actions, the moment sparked a wave of memes and social media posts that jokingly cast her as Grande's bodyguard. Erivo told Variety that this framing reduced her instinctive act of protection to a stereotype rooted in her appearance as a Black woman. She said the...