Ariana Grande's co-star Marissa Bode is speaking out after a fan crossed boundaries at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore. The 25-year-old actress, who plays Nessarose Thropp in the film, took to TikTok to address the incident, pushing back against those who said the man who grabbed the pop star was just “a fan".
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Nessarose Thropp speaks out after Singapore attack on Ariana
Responding to social media users who tried to defend the person's actions, Bode said, “‘But they’re a fan!’ Okay. Then they’re a fan and a loser," in her video. She added that she has spoken about "parasociality, especially at things like concerts or just when someone in the public eye is at an event, like people throwing s*** on stage mid-performance” over the years, as reported by The New York Post.
She went on to say that incidents like this show how “social media brings out the worst in people, adding that chasing views and likes often comes at the expense of someone else's safety.
{{/usCountry}}She went on to say that incidents like this show how “social media brings out the worst in people, adding that chasing views and likes often comes at the expense of someone else's safety.
{{/usCountry}}Bode also emphasized that she does not think "women, or really anybody, should be expected to move with grace or respond with kindness when they’ve been violated in that way, and to expect that makes you a weirdo also.” She added, “The thing is, most of the time women within the public eye do respond with kindness because they know what the result is going to be if they don’t.”
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In a follow-up TikTok, Bode clarified that her comments were not “just about what happened in Singapore, it's also about women in this industry in general.” She pointed out that public figures, including singer Chappell Roan and actress Rachel Zelger, faced criticism “for just having an opinion.”
Bode clarified, "These are people, they are not products, they do not owe you their entire personhood. And to be frank, if you don’t agree with that, you are not a fan. [You are] someone who’s entitled that desperately needs to be brought back down to Earth.”
The man who rushed at Grande has been identified as Johnson Wen, nicknamed Pyjama Man on social media. He was charged with being a public nuisance in Singapore on Friday, according to the BBC.