Kris Wu's MeToo scandal and arrest in China: a shocking twist to the case

In a shocking twist to Kris Wu's infamous scandal, 8days reports that one of his accusers, Du Meizhu, has been accused of fabricating the accusations that led to the star's conviction.

How did this revelation affect the disgraced star's 2023 appeal of his sentence? Read further to catch up on Kris Wu's scandal and arrest in China.

Kris Wu, former member of the Korean boy band EXO, has been embroiled in a scandal that all Chinese media write about. In July 2021, the star was arrested by Beijing police and an investigation of serious accusations against the star has been ongoing.

Kris Wu, also known as Wu Yi Fan, was born Li Jiaheng in Guangzhou, China. He then changed his legal name and moved to Vancouver at 10 with his mother.

(Image: SM Entertainment)

Kris Wu started his journey to become a star by taking part in SM Entertainment’s global auditions in Vancouver, Canada, in 2008. He was 18 years old at the time. The South China Morning Post reports that it took 4 years of training under SM Entertainment to prepare Kris Wu for his official debut in EXO.

EXO is a South Korean boyband that consists of the members Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, Kris Wu, Luhan, and Tao in its initial lineup. Kris, Luhan, and Tao have since left EXO to focus on their individual careers.

(Image: SM Entertainment)

The band is most notable for being split into two sub-groups, EXO-K and EXO-M, for the Korean and Mandarin music markets respectively.

(Image: SM Entertainment)

Some of EXO’s biggest hits include ‘Monster’, ‘Don't fight the feeling’, ‘Obsession’, and ‘Wolf’.

(Image: SM Entertainment)

In May 2014, the K-pop world was shaken by the announcement that Kris Wu was suing SM Entertainment. According to Yonhap News, the star accused SM Entertainment of an unfair treatment and sought to invalidate his contract with the company.

Despite being countersued by SM Entertainment later in July 2015, Kris Wu managed to fight back by revealing more about the abuse he had allegedly suffered under the company. According to Osen, the suit was resolved in July 2016. Kris Wu was officially out of EXO.

After leaving EXO, Kris Wu reached considerable success as a solo artist by also venturing into acting. Kris Wu is now an even bigger star who's landed collaborations with big names such as Vin Diesel, Travis Scott and Jhené Aiko.

On July 8, 2021, Kris Wu was suddenly outed by Chinese social media influencer Du Meizhu on her Weibo page. Koreaboo recounts that the influencer penned an open letter on her Weibo where she not only confessed to being his ex-girlfriend but also accused Kris Wu of grooming underaged women.

(Image: Weibo)

Du Meizhu alleged that Kris Wu would consistently use the same tactics to lure women into sleeping with him, such as giving them substances or alleging that he was looking for a female lead for a music video or a new star under his entertainment company.

(Image: Weibo, Beijing Fan Shi Culture and Media)

Other than revealing Kris Wu’s alleged predatory tactics, Du Meizhu also revealed that the star was constantly unfaithful during the course of their relationship.

(Image: Weibo, Ace Unit Culture)

The influencer noted in her post that her knowledge about his other abuses, in addition to her own experiences with Kris Wu, caused her to suffer from depression and anxiety. She claimed she wrote the post in order to free herself from the mental burden. In addition, she wanted to defend herself against accusations of lying and shattering Kris Wu’s “perfect image” in the eyes of the public and his fans.

(Image: Weibo)

According to the BBC, Du Meizhu’s accusations came with the alleged proof from at least 24 other women who claimed to have been victims of Kris Wu. She also uploaded screenshots of chats that supported her claims of the supposed tactics he used. They included chats that were allegedly from Kris and his team.

(Image: Weibo, edited)

Kris Wu and his legal team immediately released a public statement denying all allegations made by Du Meizhu. Kris Wu and his legal counsel then announced that they would be stepping up to sue Du Meizhu for defamation and asserted that all claims made by Du Meizhu were false accusations.

(Image: Beijing Fan Shi Culture and Media)

In response to Kris Wu’s plans to take legal action against her allegedly false claims, Du Meizhu uploaded what seemed to be a legal document from Kris’ legal team asking for an off-court settlement in private whilst, ironically, proclaiming in public to prosecute her for the allegations.

(Image: Weibo)

Adding to this, Du Meizhu also mentioned that Kris Wu transferred 3 million yuan to her bank account without her consent in what seems to be an attempt to land Du Meizhu in jail for fraud and blackmail. Koreaboo reported that the influencer later came up with video proof of the transactions to support her claims.

(Image: Weibo, SM Entertainment)

On July 18, 2021, Du Meizhu posted an update with an ultimatum for Kris Wu. She demanded that the star apologize to all his victims and leave the entertainment industry in China. She also threatened Kris Wu that if she were to be sued by him and his team, she would request for the proceedings to be broadcasted live and for all of China to see.

(Image: Weibo, SM Entertainment)

In the midst of the Kris Wu and Du Meizhu scuffle, an old scandal of Kris Wu resurfaced.
ET Today suggests that Du Meizhu was not the first to expose Kris Wu. In fact, six years ago, a woman going by the name 'Little Gina' had also outed herself as Kris’ girlfriend and shared similar, damning allegations about the star.

Little Gina had revealed on a TV interview with ‘All-Star Detective’ that Kris Wu had been jealous and narcissistic by not only constantly focusing on himself in conversation (a point also mentioned by Du Meizhu in her Weibo) but also by secretly badmouthing ex-EXO bandmates Tao, Luhan, and Lay.

(Image: SM Entertainment)

'Mothership' reported that Kris Wu continued to deny the allegations from Du Meizhu. He made a personal statement on his Weibo on July 19, saying that he would even be willing to turn himself in to the police if the statements were true.

According to a Weibo post from Kris Wu’s studio, his team asserted in a legal document that the person who was assumed to be Kris in Du Meizhu’s screenshots was actually an impersonator and not Kris Wu himself!

(Image: SM Entertainment)

Channel News Asia reported that since the scandal, Kris Wu has been dropped by sponsors like Porsche, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton and Kiehl’s. Mentions of Kris Wu have also been taken down from many brand sites so as to distance themselves from the star.

The South China Morning Post reported by the end of July that the Chinese police force had come to a damning conclusion about Kris Wu's July 19 Weibo post. They argued that he had lied about his relationship with Du Meizhu and that their relationship was more than a 'one night stand' as he previously claimed. Police added that the two had been in contact for months and that Kris did indeed transfer money to the influencer on multiple occasions.

(Image: Weibo, SM Entertainment)

Police confirmed that Kris Wu did transfer 32 thousand yuan to Du Meizhu, the South China Morning Post reported. Although the revelation of how much yuan was transferred differed from Du's account on Weibo, Kris Wu’s credibility is under question as the new information directly contradicts the star's previous denials.

In a strange twist, the South China Morning Post added to the story that in the midst of investigations, the police arrested a man who was impersonating Du Meizhu and other people. His intent was to swindle Kris Wu and his team. Channel News Asia reported that the man managed to swindle USD $77,000 from Kris’ mother while impersonating his lawyer.

(Image: SM Entertainment)

For Kris Wu himself, however, legal problems could become enormous as well. The Legal Daily, a Chinese government publication, declared that the "'Kris Wu Incident' is no longer entertainment gossip tainted with a peachy atmosphere, but a real legal incident. It also teaches the whole society a very solid lesson that everyone is equal before the law."

According to legal experts in the Global Times, Wu could face between ten years and life in prison for the alleged assaults. He was eventually sentenced to 13 years in prision.

(Image: China Lion Film Distribution)

According to 8days' 2022 report, Du Meizhu allegedly recanted her accusations, making her a less credible witness, as the Chinese authorities were preparing to prosecute Kris Wu. How will this impact Kris Wu's case?

As '8days' emphasizes, however, Kris Wu was never released from custody by the Chinese police. This would be an indication, the news outlet argues, that there is considerable evidence against him and that his sentencing will move forward as planned.

(Image: SM Entertainment)

In a 2023 update to the case, World Journal reported that Kris Wu is still struggling in prison after a year. Meanwhile, according to Yahoo News, his accuser Du Meizhu has been offered an acting role as a result of her fame in the case.

Image: Universial Music China, Weibo

According to the same Yahoo News report, the decision to cast Du Meizhu has been met with criticism by many online, who see her move to showbizz as undermining China's rare victory in the MeToo movement, as many have chastised her for using the case as a stepping stone to fame.

Image: Weibo

According to 8days, in an update to the case since Kris Wu's sentencing in 2021, Du Meizhu has been accused by an alleged whistleblower claiming to be her ex-ghostwriter. The anonymous whistleblower revealed that Du Meizhu had fabricated all of her online accusations against the star back in 2021 with their help.

Image: Weibo

This new revelation, while casting doubt on Du Meizhu's credibility, has done nothing to change the sentence of Kris Wu's imprisonment. According to the South China Morning Post, Kris Wu's appeal to reverse or reduce his sentence in light of new developments that cast doubt on the key witness, Du Meizhu, in his case, has been rejected by Chinese authorities.

Image: Weibo

According to the same South China Morning Post report, the Chinese courts upheld Kris Wu's guilt in his sentencing, determining that there was sufficient evidence to prove his guilt and justify his harsh sentence for his crimes.

Image: Sina Entertainment