When stars gather in one place, it’s often expected for them to take photos and share them online. Unfortunately for Hong Kong stars Eric Tsang (曾志伟) and Kenny Bee (钟镇涛), their recent photo with Malaysian singer Namewee (黄明志) wasn’t so well-received.
Eric and Kenny were recently in Malaysia for the “Wow! Super! Happy 30 Years” concert at Arena of Stars, Resorts World Genting. Attending the concert as an audience member was Namewee, who met with the cast backstage. Before the concert, the singer shared photos of himself with the HK stars on his social media, wishing them good luck for their performance. Also in the photo was local influencer and SteadyGang member, Tomato.
While the photo itself seemed innocent, the two HK stars received backlash for associating themselves with Namewee due to his controversial image. The Malaysian-born media personality has been banned in China for his views against Chinese President Xi Jinping and his remarks on China-related topics. As such, both Eric and Kenny issued public apologies on their individual Weibo and distanced themselves from Namewee.
In his post, Kenny wrote, “During an event in Resorts World Genting, Malaysia, I inadvertently took a photo with an individual, which caused misunderstandings. I was unaware of that person’s background and inappropriate past actions. If I had known his position earlier, I would never have had any contact with him. This incident was an unintentional mistake and does not mean that I agree with his views.”
On his Weibo, Eric wrote a similar apology, adding, “As a Chinese, I have always been committed to safeguarding national dignity and national sentiment.” Meanwhile, Namewee has since deleted the post from his social media. He explained the move, saying, “To not affect the peace and stability of the ‘motherland’ as well as the safety of our comrades in Hong Kong in the Greater Bay Area, we have removed the previous post and photos.”
It’s worth noting that Namewee hinted that he was forced to remove the post due to the backlash. What are your thoughts on this?
