Marissa Bode, the actress who stars alongside Ariana Grande in the new Wicked films, has publicly condemned the actions of an overzealous fan who ambushed the pop star during a red carpet event in Singapore.
The Singapore Premiere Incident
The shocking event unfolded on Thursday at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good. The 32-year-old singer was walking the red carpet when she was bombarded by the fan. Following the ordeal, Bode, 25, who plays Nessarose Thropp in the two-part cinematic adaptation, took to TikTok to voice her strong disapproval of fans who fail to respect the personal space of public figures.
In a minute-long video that has since gone viral, Bode directly addressed those who might defend such behaviour. She stated, '"But they're a fan!' Okay. Then they're a fan and a loser.' She connected this incident to the broader issue of parasocial relationships, specifically mentioning disturbing trends like 'people throwing s**t on stage mid-performance' at concerts.
Fallout and Wider Industry Problem
The individual who charged at Ariana Grande has been identified as Johnson Wen. His Instagram profile, @PyjamaMann, features pinned videos of him similarly crashing stage performances by artists like Katy Perry and The Weeknd. In the wake of Thursday's stunt, he has been charged with being a public nuisance by a Singapore court, as reported by the BBC.
Marissa Bode was uncompromising in her critique. 'This is what I mean when I say social media brings out the worst in people,' she said in her reaction video. She questioned whether the pursuit of online validation was worth making someone feel unsafe, adding pointedly, 'You're a bad person.'
She also challenged the expectation for women in the public eye to always respond with grace after being violated. 'The thing is, most of the time women within the public eye do respond with kindness because they know what the result is going to be if they don't,' Bode highlighted, captioning her original TikTok clip with the statement, 'This is about the experiences of most women in Hollywood btw.'
A Gracious Response and Viral Support
Ariana Grande herself has moved onward from the incident with poise. The following morning, she posted photos from the Singapore red carpet to Instagram with the caption, 'thank you, Singapore ♡ we love you,' making no mention of the ambush.
Meanwhile, Marissa Bode's powerful monologue has resonated widely, amassing over 213,000 likes on TikTok—surpassing her own follower count of 197,000. In a follow-up post, she named other artists like Chappell Roan and Rachel Zegler who face backlash for speaking out against unruly fandom.
Bode's final message was clear: 'These are people, they are not products, they do not owe you their entire personhood. And to be frank, if you don't agree with that, you are not a fan. [You are] someone who's entitled that desperately needs to be brought back down to Earth.'
