Cynthia Erivo says comments calling her Ariana Grande’s ‘bodyguard’ reflect ‘insidious’ treatment of Black women
Cynthia Erivo criticises public response to viral Wicked premiere incident
- Cynthia Erivo has criticised the public reaction to an incident where she protected Ariana Grande from a fan, saying it reflects "the insidious nature of how we view Black women".
- The incident took place at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore, when a TikTok prankster jumped a barricade and grabbed Grande.
- Erivo pushed the man away before security intervened, with fans initially praising her and joking she acted as Grande's "bodyguard".
- Erivo told Variety she took issue with being painted as Grande’s “protector”, adding “there was this assumption that I was bigger than my co-star and so I had to be controlling or protecting, and that was my role.”
- The attacker, identified as Australian Johnson Wen, was later arrested, charged with public nuisance, and sentenced to nine days in prison.
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks