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Cynthia Erivo had one thought on her mind when jumping in to protect Ariana Grande after a man charged at her at a recent event.
During an appearance on the Today show on Thursday (November 20), Erivo broke her silence on protecting Grande during the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore on November 13 when a man ran up to Grande as she and her costars were walking on the red carpet, per People. When host Savannah Guthrie asked about Erivo's choice to get between Grande and the man, the Tony Award winner admitted that she simply wanted to make sure Grande was safe.
"I was really thinking, I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe," she said. "I'm sure he didn't mean us harm, but I just, you know, you never know with those things and I wanted to make sure that she was okay. That was my first instinct."
Multiple videos shared online captured the moment a man, identified as Australian man Johnson Wen, charged at the "We Can't Be Friends" singer, accosting her and grabbing her shoulders. Erivo immediately jumped into action to push the man away before she and their costar Michelle Yeoh surrounded and comforted Grande.
Wen has a history of crashing celebrity events and jumping on stage at concerts by artists like Katy Perry and The Chainsmokers. He was arrested for the incident and was recently sentenced to nine days in jail.