Fans are praising Katy Perry for her reaction after a young fan forcefully grabbed her from behind outside a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last Friday (September 20).

The viral clip shows the singer— fresh off the release of her latest album, 143 — heading towards her hotel while carrying an open pizza box. Surrounded by photographers and admirers, the moment took an unexpected turn when a young boy suddenly ran up from behind and grabbed her by the arms.

The child’s rather violent embrace of the singer visibly startled those around him. Perry remained calm, however, turning to the boy and offering him a slice of her pizza. 

Cheers erupted from the crowd as she embraced her young fan, gracefully diffusing the situation as security took the kid away.

“She’s a queen, didn’t panic, and even rewarded him with a slice,” one fan wrote.

Fans are praising Katy Perry for the way she handled a tense situation, as a young fan in Brazil jumped a fence and ran past security to violently hug her

Image credits: KATY PERRY

The video serves as a behind-the-scenes follow-up to an Instagram post by the artist’s official account, posted as she returned to her hotel after performing at the 2024 Rock in Rio.

Perry headlined the fifth day of the festival, which also featured performances by Karol G, Ivete Sangalo, and Cyndi Lauper.

“They feed me, and I feed them!” Katy captioned her video, in which she salutes a large number of fans behind a fence while a large number of security guards guard the perimeter.

Image credits: KATY PERRY

“We’re about to deliver pizza to fans because we love them,” Perry says in the video before going out to fulfill the promise herself, adding a bit of Hellmann’s Ketchup on top of one and personally sharing a slice with one girl who almost passes out from the excitement.

“Katy Perry + pizza + Hellmann’s Ketchup,” posted the official brand account in that country.

While Katy Perry retained her composure and reacted with kindness, her fans are accusing her security team of being careless

Image credits: ETimes

While most fans praised the singer for maintaining her composure despite being surprised by the kid, others instead turned their sights toward the security team, which they believed did not do their jobs properly and put Perry in danger.

One person tweeted, “They should’ve stepped in sooner. It could have been dangerous, and security definitely dropped the ball.

Others also criticized how, in handling the desperate fan, one of the guards had to choke the young man while another restrained him from behind before he calmed down.

Image credits: BBC Radio 1

“Security guards may be too aggressive, but that’s their job. Thanks to Katy, who knew how to manage this peacefully and ensure no further harm came to the child,” a viewer explained.

“She was reacting quickly in a tense moment. It is her job to protect her client. It doesn’t matter if it’s a child. That child could have a knife,” another argued.

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