Kris Wu, the former member of K-Pop‘s boyband EXO, has been axed from a bevy of brand deals after allegations detail predatory behavior and solicitation of underage girls for sex. As of late, Louis Vuitton, Porsche and Kans (a Shanghai-based cosmetics company) have notably suspended or ended their contracts.
Wu’s A-list celebrity status in China has secured his eminence as the face of numerous companies, including Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Lancôme, Kans, L’Oreal and Porsche. Kans’ move to cut ties with the Wu on Sunday snowballed into a flurry of terminations from Master Kong Ice Tea, Tuborg Brewery and more. According to WWD, on Monday, Louis Vuitton issued an official statement to Weibo (a Chinese social media platform), announcing that the luxury brand “takes the allegations against Kris Wu very seriously and has suspended its relationship with Kris Wu until the outcome of the judicial investigation is known.”
Early July, Du Meizhu, a 19-year-old college student, announced that she had been in a relationship with the 30-year-old singer-actor via Weibo. According to Radii, the bombshell social media post detailed how his infidelity affected her mental health and alleged that Wu used a WeChat account to solicit underage girls under false pretenses. Along with people “exposing Mr. Wu’s unfaithful behavior,” Meizhu also revealed that the “death threats from some of his fans” led her struggle with suicidal ideation.
Accompanying the post were alleged screenshots of Wu contacting underage girls. According to Meizhu, he would lure them into the chats by purporting that he was recruiting new artists and casting female leads for music videos and later convince them into playing drinking games, “all while sweet talking: I’ll take care of you, I want to be with you.”
#KrisWu @KrisWu Kris Wu 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/Eum0Ja72kW
— K&W (@rainbow_smile11) July 19, 2021
In an official response to the controversy, Wu posted an official statement to Weibo, writing: ““I declare that I met Miss Du only once at a gathering organised by a friend on 5 December 2020. There was no such thing as forced drinking, confiscation of phones, or any other details alleged in her stories.” He continued, ““I would have sent myself to jail if I had committed any of these crimes.”
