Chinese social media bans Barbie Hsu's ex-husband for exploiting her death for profit
Singer DJ Koo, left, and his late wife Barbie Hsu / Captured from Koo's Instagram
Barbie Hsu’s ex-husband and former mother-in-law have effectively been banned from Douyin, considered the Chinese version of TikTok, for allegedly exploiting the late actor's death for financial gain.
Chinese and Taiwanese media outlets, including the Global Times, Beijing News and The Paper, said Douyin indefinitely suspended the accounts of Zhang Lan, Hsu’s former mother-in-law, and Wang Xiaofei, her ex-husband.
Douyin explained the suspension, saying, “They used Hsu’s death for exaggerated advertising and marketing, recommended false videos for commercial gain, repeatedly posted misleading content and created illegal promotional videos for profit. Despite previous warnings, they did not correct their actions.”
The platform added that it would “intensify crackdowns on all forms of violations and sensational misinformation to ensure a responsible community.”
Zhang Lan, left, Barbie Hsu’s former mother-in-law, and Wang Xiaofei, her ex-husband / Capture from TVBS
Weibo, often called China’s X, also announced a ban on Zhang’s live broadcasts, saying that she had “maliciously posted or spread rumors that harmed the deceased and her family.”
Zhang reportedly earned a massive sum from a Douyin live broadcast on the day Hsu’s remains arrived in Taiwan. During the stream, she mentioned Hsu’s passing, attracting 286,000 viewers and generating over 1 million yuan ($139,000) in revenue.
Meanwhile, false claims circulated on Weibo suggesting that Wang had covered the costs of a private jet to transport Hsu’s remains. In response, Hsu’s younger sister, TV personality Dee Hsu, refuted the rumor through her agency, saying, “Our family and my husband personally handled all the funeral arrangements. I don’t understand why such lies are spreading.”
Barbie Hsu, who is the late wife of Korean singer DJ Koo (Koo Jun-yup), died on Feb. 2 from pneumonia complications caused by influenza while traveling in Japan with her family.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.