Chinese-Canadian Actor Kris Wu Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Several women have come forward with allegations against the rapper, led by 19-year old Du Meizhu–Wu’s alleged ex-girlfriend
Chinese-Canadian rapper and actor Kris Wu has been accused of multiple instances of date-rape and sexual assault involving teenage girls.
The controversy was initiated when Du Meizhu, a 19 year-old Chinese university student and beauty influencer, claimed to be Wu’s ex-girlfriend and publicly posted allegations regarding the singer’s infidelity and alleged predatory behaviour. Du backed her claims with a series of textual screenshots and photographs, stating that Wu had coerced multiple teenage girls into having sex with him by promising lucrative opportunities in the entertainment industry.
In an interview with Chinese website NetEase, Du claimed that she knew of at least seven more victims besides herself and that two of his victims were minors.
Wu, also known as Wu Yifan, first rose to fame as a member of South Korean group EXO and then left the group to pursue a highly successful career in China as an actor, singer and model.
Du alleged that Wu would always follow a standard procedure involving several middlemen who would scout for young, attractive females under the garb of recruiting them as actresses and set up meetings with the rapper. Wu would then reportedly force the girls to drink alcohol, post which he’d pressure them into engaging in sexual intercourse with him. In Du’s case, she was reportedly forced to drink until she lost consciousness and later woke up in his bed. She further claimed that Wu would pay off the women he had slept with by offering them hush money and had apparently also paid her around $77,130–which she is returning.
Wu’s representatives and legal team initially denied the allegations and threatened to take legal action against Du. She followed up by claiming that Wu’s side had sent her an agreement notice in an attempt to settle the issue, which she further enunciated by sharing video proof of the money transfer.
In the wake of Du’s revelations, more alleged victims have come forward to share their respective chat histories with Wu to showcase his predatory behaviour. Du is also receiving a vast amount of support in China for speaking out about the alleged abuse, sparking hashtags like #girlshelpgirls which have been trending on Chinese social media.
As of Monday, various luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Porsche, Lancôme, Kiehl’s, EtherealSound and more have cut ties with Wu, with several announcing that they are suspending or terminating their contracts with the rapper. There have also been demands from the public for Wu to quit the entertainment industry and return to Canada.
Wu has defended himself against all allegations via a statement on Chinese social media platform Weibo, saying, “I didn’t respond earlier since I didn’t wish to interfere with the progress of the legal process, but I didn’t expect that my silence would lead to more intense attacks from those who are spreading rumors. I have reached my limit!” He claimed to have met Du only once at a gathering with friends on December 5th, 2020. “I never forced her to drink, didn’t take away her phone, and none of the ‘details’ she described ever happened.” He further denied all of Du’s claims of date rape, coercion and sexual abuse of minors, declaring, “If there has been such actions, please don’t worry, I’ll go to prison myself!”
Wu’s studio has stated that it has reported the case to the police for further investigation and will be taking legal action against Du for defamation.
