Kris Wu: Brands cut ties with Chinese singer accused of sexual abuse of minors

Singer has vehemently denied the allegations

Kris Wu attends the premiere of xXx: Return Of Xander Cage in 2017 (AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese singer and actor Kris Wu has been dropped by several major brands after he was accused of luring young girls, including underage teenagers, into having sex with him.

The allegations were brought forward by a woman claiming to be one of his victims, and have sparked uproar in China.

The 30-year-old actor has denied the claims and said that he will file a defamation suit.

In recent weeks, 19-year-old university student Du Meizhu began posting about the allegations on social media, alleging that Wu had promised them careers in the entertainment industry in exchange for sexual favours.

She claimed that she knew of eight victims, including herself, and that two were minors. In China, the age of consent is 14.

She alleged that Wu had paid her 500,000 yuan (£56,100) to “keep quiet”, but she chose to speak out instead, as she wants to be “the last victim”.

“I didn’t respond earlier because I didn’t want to interfere with judicial proceedings... but I cannot bear it anymore,” Wu wrote on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo.

“I declare that I met Miss Du only once at a gathering organised by a friend on 5 December 2020,” Wu wrote in his statement. “There was no such thing as forced drinking, confiscation of phones, or any other details alleged in her stories.”

“The accusations such as ‘gang rape’, ‘sex involving minors’, ‘sedation-facilitated assault’ were all all false,” he added. “I would have sent myself to jail if I had committed any of these crimes.”

Brands that have terminated the celebrity’s contacts following the accusations include Shanghai cosmetics brand Kans and detergent brand Libai.

Other international brands like Kiehl’s and snack brand Bestore also removed him from their social media profiles on Weibo.

Wu has also been serving as a brand ambassador of Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Porsche, Lancôme and L’Oreal.