WATCH: Ariana Grande speaks out for first time on Singapore incident

LOS ANGELES – “We’re very independent, both of us. And yet we love taking care of each other,” Ariana Grande began when I asked her about “Wicked: For Good” co-star Cynthia Erivo rushing to her side and protecting her when a man jumped over the barricade and grabbed Grande’s shoulders at the film’s premiere in Singapore.

Grande added in our one-on-one video interview, “So we’ve learned to pick up on each other’s cues. And I can tell when there’s something that she needs. But she doesn’t feel like saying it right then.”

“And I’ll be able to step in. Then obviously, she’s been able to step in in other ways as well. You know, like you mentioned. And we just care a lot about each other.”

Grande’s reply to my question was her first public comment on the alarming incident. News reports identified the man as Johnson Wen, 26, who was sentenced to nine days in jail, deported to Australia, and barred from re-entering Singapore.

Ariana Grande (left) and Cynthia Erivo in ‘Wicked: For Good’ | Photo from Universal Pictures

“I’m very grateful for the ways in which we’ve been able to protect and care for each other along this way, because it was a lot of hard work and a lot of life was lived over the course of these four and a half, five years,” continued Grande about Erivo. “We were able to show up for each other as friends all the time, and I’m so grateful.”

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Cynthia Erivo, from left, director Jon M. Chu and Ariana Grande pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film “Wicked: For Good” in London, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

“Being able to do this with her, obviously professionally and personally, has been such a gift. No one else could have done this other than her, of course. And it’s just been such an incredible journey.”

“I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe,” Erivo said in an interview with NBC News. “I’m sure he (Wen) didn’t mean us harm, but I just, you never know with those things, and I wanted to make sure that she was ok.” Grande reportedly experienced post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the bombing, which left 22 people dead, at her Manchester show in 2017.

“Wicked: For Good,” which opened over the recent weekend, broke box office records and even smashed the ticket sales of the franchise’s first installment. With impressive $150 million domestic and $226 million overseas opening weekend figures, the part two became the biggest domestic and international opening for a film based on a Broadway show. It is also the biggest global and domestic opening for Grande.

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Jeff Goldblum, left, and Cynthia Erivo in a scene from “Wicked: for Good.” (Universal Pictures via AP)

The film also earned generally positive reviews, with Newsweek’s Billie Melissa raving, “Its sincerity, heart, and belief in a better world are inspiring, and Grande and Erivo deliver the message flawlessly, bringing us into their warm embrace to comfort and inspire.”

Asked to put Glinda and the two films in the context of her career as an actress, Ariana reflected, “This character has taught me so much creatively and personally. She was such a gift to my creative life. It was just an extraordinary experience.”

“I’ll always remember this moment as a moment in my life when I got to do something so much bigger than me. And I got to meet so many creative people that I will know for the rest of my life.”

She added, “I also really fell in love with acting. I’m so grateful that John Chu saw me for my audition because there was a moment when I didn’t think he would.”

“I got the chance to earn this part, and it will always be remembered as both this moment when I made such incredible relationships, but also when I got to learn so much, and also take spontaneous turns in my career in a new way.”

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