the glitzy premiere of Wicked: For Good in Singapore turned into a harrowing scene when a man breached security barriers and charged at Ariana Grande on the red carpet. The incident, captured on video and widely reported, unfolded at the Marina Bay Sands event, where Grande, starring as Glinda alongside Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba, was posing for photos. A 32-year-old local man, identified as serial attention-seeker Tan Wei Long, rushed forward, grabbing Grande's arm and shouting, "Ariana, marry me!" before security intervened.
Erivo's instinctive reaction became the night's defining moment: she stepped in front of Grande, shielding her co-star with her body while yelling, "Back off!" Grande, visibly shaken, retreated behind Erivo as event staff tackled the intruder. Singapore police arrested Tan on the spot, charging him under the Public Order Act for creating a public nuisance and assault. Court documents revealed this was his third such incident at celebrity events, including a 2023 attempt at a Taylor Swift concert. He faces up to three months in jail and a fine of SGD 2,000 if convicted, with a hearing set for December 5.
Grande, 32, later addressed the ordeal in a statement on Instagram, thanking Erivo for her "fierce protection" and Singapore authorities for their swift response. "It triggered old wounds, but I'm grateful for the love that followed," she wrote, alluding to past traumas like the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing during her concert, which killed 22. Erivo echoed this in a Variety interview, calling Grande "family" and praising the cast's solidarity: "We don't let our own get hurt." The duo's bond, forged during Wicked's grueling production, shone through—Grande had dedicated her performance to Erivo in the film's credits.
Wicked: For Good, directed by Jon M. Chu, is the second installment of the musical adaptation, following 2024's Wicked, which grossed $1.2 billion worldwide. Filming wrapped in 2024 amid strikes, with Grande training vocally for six months to embody Glinda's bubbly soprano. The Singapore premiere was part of a global tour, selected for its vibrant theater scene and as a nod to the film's themes of unity. Attendees included Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero) and Bowen Yang (Pfannee), who later hosted an afterparty at the rooftop infinity pool.
The attack highlighted escalating concerns over celebrity safety at public events. Grande's team cited it as a "PTSD trigger," prompting enhanced protocols for future premieres, including AI-monitored barriers. Singapore's tourism board, while condemning the act, used the buzz to promote the city-state's film festival circuit. Grande, resilient as ever, performed an impromptu acoustic set of "Popular" post-incident, drawing applause from 500 guests.
This wasn't Grande's first red-carpet scare; in 2019, she dodged a thrown shoe at the Grammys. Yet, her career trajectory remains upward: post-Wicked, she's scored her seventh No. 1 album with Eternal Sunshine (2024) and launched r.e.m. beauty in 2023, emphasizing clean ingredients. Erivo, an Emmy winner for Genius: Aretha, balances acting with activism, recently advocating for arts funding in the UK.
