Ari was walking with Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum when a man suddenly rushed up, grabbed her, and pulled her close. Ariana looked terrified as she tried to pull away before Cynthia jumped in, pushing him off and yelling, “Let go of her!” She and Michelle then turned to comfort Ari, keeping her between them as security worked to de-escalate the situation.
People were incredibly grateful that Cynthia reacted so quickly. One person wrote, “the way Cynthia moved across multiple people faster than security even started activating is both super impressive and such a problem.” Another added, “What people don’t realize is how scary this actually is and easily these situations can turn dire. Christina Grimmie was murdered at point blank range in front of fans at a meet and greet by an obsessed fan.”
People also pointed out how “unacceptable” it was, especially in light of the 2017 Manchester attack at Ariana’s concert that left 22 dead and injured hundreds more.
“Poor Ariana,” one more said. “She looked terrified. Thank goodness for beautiful souls like Cynthia and Michelle for protecting her. Cynthia went into full Bodyguard mode. This made me cry. 😭😭🥰🥰”
In an interview on Today, Cynthia addressed the viral moment she stepped in to defend Ariana, whom she lovingly described as her sister. “I wasn’t really thinking,” she said of the moment. “I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe.”
Cynthia added, “I’m sure he didn’t mean us harm, but you never know with those things, and I wanted to make sure that she was OK. That was my first instinct.”
I’m sure Ariana is so grateful for that. May we all be blessed with a Cynthia Erivo in our lives.
