Ariana Grande sparked concerns after becoming overwhelmed with photographers’ attention at the Wicked: For Good New York premiere this week.
In a new clip, Grande can be seen posing up a storm for snappers shouting for her attention, until both she and her co-star Cynthia Erivo flagged down a handler for help – days after the singer was attacked by a fan on the red carpet.
Forensic lipreader Jeremy Freeman exclusively told the Daily Mail that Grande appeared to say to the frenzied photographers: ‘If you could (signaling calm it down with her hands)… my anxiety.’
The shouting notably decreased thereafter, which did not go unnoticed by Grande. ‘This is so peaceful, see?’ she then appeared to say.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Grande for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The moment came after a fan frantically rushed Grande at the Singapore Wicked: For Good premiere – in an incident that has reportedly triggered her PTSD.
Fans weighed in with their thoughts in the comments, writing: ‘Very overstimulating especially for people with anxiety and PTSD.’
Another wrote: ‘Looks like anxiety.’
‘queen was just a lil overstimulated,’ another wrote.
Grande has previously been candid about her mental health challenges.
Earlier this year she opened up about the inner turmoil she endured during the creation of her back-to-back albums Sweetener and Thank U, Next.
Production on Sweetener began after the 2017 Manchester bombing outside her concert, which claimed 22 lives, and a month after its release in August 2018, Ariana faced another blow with the death of her ex Mac Miller from an overdose at 26.
‘I was doing so much therapy, and I was dealing with PTSD and all different kinds of grief and depression and anxiety, and I was, of course, treating it very seriously, but having music be a part of that remedy was absolutely contributing to saving my life,’ she shared on The Hollywood Reporter Awards Chatter podcast.
In the wake of Mac’s death and her breakup with Pete Davidson, Ariana channeled her pain into Thank U, Next, completing and releasing the album in just two weeks by February 2019.
‘They were dark times, and the music brought so much levity, and so did the experience. But it poured out with urgency, and it was made with urgency, and it was a means of survival,’ she confessed.
Grande’s New York premiere came the same day Australian Johnson Wen, 26 – the online prankster known as Pyjama Man – was sentenced to nine days behind bars after he rushed Grande at the Singapore premiere of her Wicked sequel.
According to the Singaporean paper The Straits Times, the judge said that Wen had planned the disturbing move to get hits on social media.
Wen was also called a ‘serial intruder’ by prosecutors.
Addressing Wen, district judge Christopher Goh said: ‘You seem to be attention-seeking, thinking only of yourself, and not the safety of others, when committing these acts.’
Wen stormed past security at Universal Studios last Thursday and latched onto Grande, wrapping an arm around her as she struggled to pull away.
Erivo immediately jumped in, shouting at Wen while throwing herself between him and her co-star as security tackled the intruder and dragged him off. Grande was left visibly shaken on the carpet.
Hours later, Wen uploaded a chilling selfie with manic eyes, pointing at a Grande poster and bragging, ‘I finally met Ariana Grande tonight.’
Wen appeared in court Friday via video link with no legal representation and pleaded guilty.
Under Singaporean laws against public nuisance, he faced jail time of up to three months and fines of up to $1,540.
The Straits Times reported that, when asked by Judge Goh if he had anything to say in mitigation on Monday, Wen said: ‘I won’t do it again, Your Honour.’
Immediately after the incident, Wen posted a video to his social media saying, ‘Finally, I dreamed about meeting Ariana Grande and my dream became true,’ followed by a maniacal laugh: ‘Hee-hee-hee heeeeee.’
He even reposted footage of the red carpet ambush, captioning it: ‘Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.’
