Cynthia Erivo steps in to protect Ariana Grande after fan rushes her at ‘Wicked: For Good’ premiere

When a fan jumped the barricade at the “Wicked: For Good” premiere, Cynthia Erivo kept her promise to her friend and co-star Ariana Grande.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda, share a connection that extends beyond the “Wicked” universe. Recently, the proof of that friendship revealed itself in a very unexpected way during the “Wicked: For Good” premiere at Universal Studios Singapore. 

When a male fan jumped the barricade and rushed to grab Grande, Erivo leaped into action. Erivo quickly moved to put herself between her co-star and the crazed fan. 

@wheninmanila Man jumps over the barricade to run to Ariana Grande at the yellow carpet of the “Wicked: For Good” premiere in Singapore. We are so relieved she’s alright! #arianagrande #wickedforgood #wheninmanila ♬ original sound – WhenInManila.com

After security intervened, Erivo, along with their co-star Michelle Yeoh, comforted Grande, who looked visibly shaken up before proceeding down the premiere’s yellow brick road. 

As social media users commended Erivo’s quick response, others identified the man in the interaction as Johnson Wen, also known as Pyjama Man on social media. Known for stunts like this, Wen proudly boasted about the instance on his Instagram page writing: “Dear Ariana Grande, Thank You for letting me jump on the Yellow Carpet with you ❤️.”

Security needs to hire Cynthia she was not playing at all pic.twitter.com/emadyMsQOc— SUAREZ (@suayrez) November 13, 2025

Throughout the press tour for “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good,” fans got a glimpse into the special friendship Erivo and Grande cultivated during their time working together on the blockbuster film. 

“When we knew we were casted in this, we both made a decision and a pact together to take care of one another,” Erivo previously told Tamron Hall. “To make the space we needed for each other […] To just be there. Protect each other and take care of each other. We made an intentional promise to one another that we would take care of each other.” 

Fans can watch the final chapter of Erivo and Grande’s on-screen friendship in “Wicked: For Good” on November 21.