Buh-Bye, Kris Wu.
Latest Development
It has been 11 days since 19-year-old woman Du Meizhu first accused Kris Wu of predatory sexual behavior, including luring underage girls. Over the weekend, one of China’s major news outlets — NetEase — published an exclusive interview with Du.
In the interview, Du released more details about her alleged nonconsensual encounter with the idol. She stated that Kris Wu and his friends plied her with alcohol when she was a 17-year-old and that she “woke up the next day next to Wu” after passing out drunk. Du also recounted the tactics the pop idol used to target and lure girls.
The scathing interview may have been responsible for pushing brands to sever their ties with Kris Wu.
Wu made his Hollywood debut in XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017)
The disturbing behavior outlined by Du during the interview, however, is just the tip of the iceberg: Du disclosed that seven other girls had shared their own similar experiences with her.
On Monday, two other women shared screenshots of their online exchanges with Kris Wu, including Zhang Dansan, a former member of the girl band SNH48. The screenshot shared by Zhang shows messages from Wu, in which he asks her if she is still a virgin.
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In the days leading up to the interview’s release, Du posted screenshots and videos of bank transaction records that showed Wu’s agency was trying to eliminate the crisis by transferring funds to multiple accounts in Du’s name, as well as a draft settlement agreement.
Du has voluntarily shared a play-by-play video on Weibo showing her checking her bank account
At around 8 AM on Monday, Kris Wu broke his silence on Weibo and denied the allegations, writing: “I didn’t respond before because I didn’t want to interfere with the progress of the judicial process, but I didn’t expect my silence to condone the rumor spreader and become even worse. I cannot stand it anymore.” Wu added:
"If I did all these things, no one has to worry — I will go to prison myself. I take legal responsibility for my words above."
Du first caught the public eye in early June, when one of her friends accused Wu of cheating on her. The public accusation was made after video footage was leaked of Wu and a 19-year-old girl, Chen Ziyi, watching a movie together.
Reactions from the Internet
The rapid developments of this case have become a countrywide talking point and have infuriated some netizens.
Hashtags such as #NetEase interviewed Du Meizhu# and #Du MeiZhu [asks Kris Wu] to come out like a man# have dominated the trending topics list on Weibo, with users showing support for Du.
The hashtag #Du MeiZhu [asks Kris Wu] to come out like a man#, which refers to Du’s remarks following the interview, has garnered over 1.3 billion views on Weibo.
“Such an unyielding woman!” read the most upvoted comment under one of Du’s posts, which over a million netizens had liked as of today:
“This is so infuriating! [This behavior] must be severely punished,” wrote another user under a related post.
Meanwhile, Kris Wu’s response has met with backlash.
A netizen's comment, which reads "I vomited," has received over 1 million likes
“F*ck off,” read the top comment under Wu’s latest post.
“Get out of China,” wrote another user, presumably referencing Wu’s Canadian citizenship.
The heated online discussions are going on amid a flurry of corporate partners scrapping their collaborations with Wu. To date, brands including skincare line Kans, washing products company Liby, Tencent Video and Mr. Kon Ice Tea have announced that they are parting ways with Wu.
Kris Wu was appointed as the first brand spokesperson for Lancôme in the Asia Pacific region
Other brands, such as Lancôme, hid posts mentioning Wu on Weibo.
In what could be considered a sign of how authorities view the scandal, China’s main State-backed television channel CCTV deleted a post from May promoting Wu’s new song.
What's Next?
As online chatter focuses on Wu’s alleged predatory behavior, Chinese media outlets across the nation have begun to focus on the case and the potential legal consequences. More brands are also expected to reassess their cooperation with Wu and potentially scrap existing partnership agreements.
Wu, pictured here with his wax figure in 2015
However, it remains to be seen what legal repercussions Wu may face. Regardless, the accusations and the attention they have garnered are a massive blow to Kris Wu’s career in China.
All images via Depositphotos and Weibo
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