Ariana Grande endured a downright frightening moment on the Wicked: For Good red carpet in Singapore on Thursday.
In several videos going viral (below), a crazed fan broke through the red carpet’s security line, rushed the actress and aggressively threw his arms around her.
And guess who reacted fastest to come to Grande’s defense?
Cynthia Erivo — who immediately jumped in, helped shove the fan away and then protectively put her arms around Grande. Their co-star Michelle Yeoh also comforted her in the immediate aftermath.
Grande looked very shaken by the incident, which comes at a time when politically motivated attacks have increased, and many high-profile celebrities and business leaders have invested in additional private security. The fan can be seen grinning, as if finding his actions funny, but his handling of the actress would almost certainly qualify as assault in the United States, and Grande had no way of knowing his intentions.
The move also appears to represent a double security fail — first letting the fan break through to Grande, and then reacting slowly enough that Grande’s co-star was the first person to get hands on Grande’s attacker. As one fan put it: “Cynthia having faster reflexes than multiple grown male security….”
In 2017, a terrorist attack occurred outside a Grande concert in Manchester, England, killing 22 attendees. Earlier this year, Grande spoke to THR Awards Chatter podcast about experiencing psychological fallout from the tragedy.
“I was doing so much therapy, and I was dealing with PTSD and all different kinds of grief and depression and anxiety,” she said. “I was, of course, treating it very seriously, but having music be a part of that remedy was absolutely contributing to saving my life. They were dark times, and the music brought so much levity.”
Wicked: For Good had its European premiere in London earlier this week where the stars of Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked sequel were joined by fellow cast members Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode. The first of Chu’s Wicked films debuted to critical acclaim and swiftly accrued more than $750 million at the global box office. Such was the success of the movie that Erivo and Grande were both nominated for Academy Awards in the best actress and best supporting actress categories, respectively, at the 2025 Oscars. The movie also scored a best picture nomination.
Wicked: For Good is released in theaters on Nov. 21 and is currently tracking for a mammoth $115 to $125 million opening at the Thanksgiving box office.