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Cynthia Erivo briefly shifted from co-star to protector at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore when a fan unexpectedly rushed Ariana Grande along the yellow carpet.
Grande, Erivo, and their fellow cast member Michelle Yeoh were walking arm-in-arm through a controlled fan area, with barricades on both sides, when the incident occurred.
Grande had just greeted a fan to her right when a young man jumped over the barrier and rushed at her in a dramatic moment.
He tackled the singer in something between a hug and a headlock, with video from the event showing Erivo immediately intervening, trying to throw her body between them and pulling the individual away from her co-star as security personnel closed in.
Yeoh also turned toward Grande in a panic as the team roughly pulled the young man out of the area.
Grande appeared startled but quickly regained her composure, continuing down the carpet with Erivo keeping a steadying arm around her, the pair looking shell-shocked.
Later, the individual identified himself on social media. Posting to his Instagram Story on November 13, the fan — known online as ‘Pyjama Man’ — wrote, ‘I am free after being arrested,’ confirming his involvement in the incident.
He posted a video of the incident to his Instagram account, captioning it: ‘@arianagrande @wickedmovie Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You ❤️’ and immediately receiving thousands of comments condemning his actions.
Another fan video shows the man resisting security as he’s pulled away from the event, with the fan who posted the video, @arisdandelions, claiming on X: ‘getting taken away for the second time btw. the SECOND time.’
The frightening moment has gone viral on social media, with many praising Erivo’s quick response.
@suayrez wrote: ‘Security needs to hire Cynthia she was not playing at all.’
@thiscantbeyoufr agreed: ‘cynthia doesn’t play about ari cause why is she doing more work than the security team?!’
@TheeLieLamaa said: ‘The entitlement of “fans”is grotesque. I’m glad Cynthia Erivo and the security was there!’
@0xkhus also praised Cynthia, writing: ‘Real friendship is stepping in without hesitation. Cynthia understood the assignment 💚✨’
Despite the disruption, the premiere proceeded as planned, and all three actresses continued their promotional appearances for the film.
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