Kris Wu: Brands drop China star over teen sex allegations

Several brands in China have cut ties with top Chinese-Canadian celebrity Kris Wu after he was accused of luring young girls, including underage teenagers, into having sex with him.

The allegations, by a woman claiming to be one of his victims, have provoked a huge outcry in China.

Many online have called for Wu to quit entertainment and leave the country.

Wu, a popular singer and actor, has denied the accusations and said he has filed a defamation suit.

In recent weeks, 19-year-old university student Du Meizhu had been posting allegations online that Wu had lured teenage girls into having sex with him, by promising lucrative opportunities in the music or acting industries which never materialised.

On Sunday, Ms Du gave an interview with the NetEase site, saying that she knew of at least eight victims, including herself.

Two of them were minors, she added. In China, the age of consent is 14.
She claimed she first met him when she was 17 years old, and had been invited to his home along with other girls where they were pressured to drink alcohol. The next day she woke up in his bed, she said.

She also claimed that Wu would pay other women he had slept with to introduce more girls to him.

Ms Du alleged that Wu had paid her 500,000 yuan ($77,130, £56,100) to "keep quiet", but decided to speak out now as she wanted to be "the last victim". She said she was repaying the money and was ready to face legal action.

Wu's management team has denied the allegations and has accused Ms Wu of fabricating the story.

On Monday, Wu wrote on microblogging platform Weibo: "I didn't respond earlier because I didn't want to interfere with judicial proceedings... but I cannot bear it anymore."

The 30-year-old said he had met Ms Du once at a friend's party but denied other details of her account.

"If I've done any of the things (alleged), I will go to jail myself," he said.

Since the allegations have surfaced, Shanghai cosmetics brand Kans and detergent brand Libai have terminated Wu's contracts.

TV programme Ethereal Sound also said that it would no longer work with him, said the Global Times.

Other brands such as Kiehl's and snack brand Bestore removed mentions of him on their Weibo pages.

Wu was formerly a member of the popular K-pop group Exo, but returned to China in 2014 to strike out on his own as a singer and actor.