Serial pest booted from Lady Gaga’s Brisbane show before it begins

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The Australian serial pest who grabbed Ariana Grande on the red carpet at a Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore last month has now been kicked out of Lady Gaga’s concert in Brisbane on Tuesday night before the show even began.

Johnson Wen revealed news of his removal via his Instagram page.

Johnson Wen posted news of his removal to his Pyjama Man Instagram page, noting the show did not start until 8pm and fans already at the venue had been booing him.

Footage across TikTok showed the 26-year-old being marched out of the mosh-pit area by two security guards to the sounds of cheers from the crowd.

He appears to be wearing a wig in the footage, and images shared across social media suggest Wen had attempted to disguise himself with the wig, sunglasses and a fake moustache.

The latest incident comes just weeks after Wen jumped the barriers at the Wicked: For Good premiere at Singapore’s Universal Studios and ambushed Ariana Grande on the yellow carpet.

Alarming video shows Wen grabbing Grande and pulling the visibly alarmed star towards him. Grande’s co-star Cynthia Erivo then pushes Wen away from Grande, while actress Michelle Yeoh pulls Grande into her arms.

Security guards are then seen grabbing Wen and holding him to the ground, before escorting him away. Wen was detained, sentenced to nine days in prison then deported from Singapore.

Singapore district judge Christopher Goh said Wen had shown “a pattern of behaviour which suggests that you will do it again”, AFP reported at the time.

“You seem to be attention-seeking, thinking only of yourself and not the safety of others when committing these acts,” Goh told Wen.

The confronting scene as Wen grabbed Ariana Grande in Singapore.

Wen, who appeared in court via video link and pleaded guilty, said: “I won’t do it again, Your Honour. I am going to stop getting into trouble.”

Last week, Wen posted video of the Singapore incident with the comment: “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.”

Who is Johnson Wen?

Wen has disrupted several high-profile events over the years, seeking social media traction by posting video of his antics.

In June, he rushed the stage as Katy Perry performed at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena as part of her Lifetimes tour, managing to get an arm around the singer before security intervened and removed him from the stage.

Wen with a bemused Katy Perry during her Sydney concert last June.

A visibly shaken Perry moved away from him while telling the audience: “There’s never going to be another show like this, so just enjoy it!”

He was banned from the Sydney Olympic Park precinct for six months over the incident.

Wen later told 9News he would no longer be performing such stunts.

“I said ‘let me get on stage with you’, then she ]Katy Perry] freaked out because she realised I wasn’t a performer,” Wen said.

“I was about to do like extra Fortnite moves, but security got there too quick. I’m planning to quit forever because you get in way too much trouble for it, especially me, because I’ve done it so many times.”

In 2024, Wen rushed the stage and hugged Canadian performer, The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) during his show at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium before he was removed.

Earlier that year, Wen invaded the track and delayed the men’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics, and in 2023 he approached Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli after storming the pitch at the Cricket World Cup Final in Ahmedabad.

Before Lady Gaga’s Brisbane shows, this masthead asked Suncorp Stadium about potential security breaches and any extra measures put in place in light of Wen’s stage invasions.

“The stadium is aware of recent incidents and, as it does for all events at the venue, management works closely with the hirer, security partners and police to tailor individual plans to ensure the safety of both performers and patrons is maintained throughout the show,” a spokesperson said.

The stadium has been approached for comment following Wen’s removal.

Last week, during Gaga’s run of Marvel Stadium shows in Melbourne, video circulating on social media appeared to show a staff member holding a piece of paper displaying a photograph of Wen.

Lady Gaga is due to play Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Friday and Saturday this week. The venue has been approached for comment following the latest incident.

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