CYNTHIA ERIVO SPEAKS OUT ON ARIANA GRANDE SINGAPORE PREMIERE INCIDENT AND "BODYGUARD" LABEL

Cynthia Erivo has spoken out about the frightening moment at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good — and about the “bodyguard” label that followed — in a new Guardian interview published October 28, 2026. Speaking about the incident involving her co-star Ariana Grande, Erivo described her instinctive response and pushed back against the way online commentators have discussed their friendship.

Image: Universal Pictures — Wicked: For Good final trailer still

What Happened in Singapore

At the Wicked: For Good movie premiere in Singapore on November 13, 2025, Australian prankster Johnson Wen, known on Instagram as @pyjamamann, jumped over a barricade on the yellow carpet and rushed toward Grande. He put his arm around her and tried to take a photo with her. Erivo stepped in and pushed him away from her co-star. Grande, Erivo, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum were walking the carpet at the time.

The moment was widely shared online, but it is important to place it in context: the incident happened in 2025, during the press tour for the second Wicked film. Erivo, 39, played Elphaba opposite Grande’s Glinda in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025), which was released in theatres on November 21, 2025, and directed by Jon M. Chu. The first film earned 10 Oscar nominations, including acting nominations for both Erivo and Grande.

What Cynthia Erivo Said Now

In a new interview with The Guardian, published October 28, 2026, Erivo spoke about the intense public scrutiny of her friendship with Grande during the Wicked press tours, and about the Singapore premiere incident. She called the moment “terrifying”.

“No one else was moving. We were on a carpet. We were exposed. My immediate response was: ‘Get this man away from us now,’” Erivo said, as quoted by ComingSoon and Parade from The Guardian interview.

The Guardian interview is tied to Erivo’s upcoming courtroom drama Prima Facie, which opens in UK cinemas on November 13, 2026. No US release date has been announced, according to QNC News. For more on Grande, see our Ariana Grande biography.

The “Bodyguard” Label

Erivo also pushed back on being labelled Grande’s “bodyguard” after the incident. She criticised online commentators who have acted like “psychologists from their couches” about the pair’s friendship, offering confident explanations of a relationship they do not know from the outside.

“Oh, you think because I look like this that you could talk to me this way about something that was a human thing that I would have done for any friend... But I must be a bodyguard,” Erivo said, as quoted by Female First.

Erivo said her reaction was a human response to someone threatening a friend, and that she felt her “humanity had been bastardised” in the way people talked about it. Away from Wicked, Grande’s other recent work includes her PETAL album and the Focker-in-Law movie.

Watch the Official Trailer

Watch the official final trailer for Wicked: For Good below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in Singapore at the Wicked: For Good premiere?

On November 13, 2025, prankster Johnson Wen jumped over a barricade on the yellow carpet, rushed toward Ariana Grande, put his arm around her and tried to take a photo. Cynthia Erivo stepped in and pushed him away from Grande.

When did the Singapore incident happen?

It happened on November 13, 2025, at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good. It is not a new incident; Erivo revisited it in a Guardian interview published October 28, 2026.

What did Cynthia Erivo say in the new interview?

Erivo called the moment “terrifying” and said her immediate response was to get the man away from them. She also rejected the “bodyguard” label, saying her reaction was a human response to someone threatening a friend.

What is Prima Facie?

Prima Facie is Cynthia Erivo’s upcoming courtroom drama, linked to the new Guardian interview. It opens in UK cinemas on November 13, 2026, with no US release date announced.