Singapore Deports Australian for Grabbing Ariana Grande

Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority deported 26-year-old Australian national Johnson Wen on November 23, 2025, and barred him from reentering the country after he rushed and grabbed singer Ariana Grande during the yellow carpet premiere of the film Wicked For Good at Universal Studios Singapore on November 13.

Wen, who arrived in Singapore on November 11 on a 90-day social visit pass for a holiday and to attend the event, jumped over a fan barricade between 7 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. as Grande walked arm-in-arm with costars Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh through a controlled area. Video footage captured Wen running toward Grande with his arms flailing, grabbing her around the neck and shoulders in a manner described as a mix of hug and headlock, then jumping up and down while smiling at cameras. Grande appeared visibly shaken, breathing heavily as she processed the encounter. Erivo immediately intervened, forcing herself between them and pulling Wen away while yelling for him to stop, as security personnel closed in and apprehended him. Yeoh also turned toward Grande in concern. Wen attempted to jump the barricade a second time but was pinned down by guards and removed...