Boycott Against Wang Yibo Intensifies, Even Hardcore Fans Turn Away
Famous actor Wang Yibo is receiving negative reactions from the public, fans, and his very own colleagues in the industry.
Born in 1997, Wang Yibo is among the top young stars in Asia with a massive fan base. He rose to A-list stardom thanks to the success of the C-drama “The Untamed.” In a short time, Wang Yibo, who lacked formal acting training, was cast in leading roles in major TV and film productions. However, recently, Wang Yibo’s fans have been attacking his colleagues, and the young actor has shown no clear effort to manage his fanbase.
On the evening of June 16, the Weibo Movie Night event featured Wang Yibo, Huang Bo, and director Da Peng. While accepting an award on stage, director Da Peng thanked producer Chen Zhi Xi for facilitating the creation of the film “One and Only.” He also interacted with the male lead standing beside him to receive the award. Da Peng also thanked actors not present at the event who contributed to the film’s success.
However, Da Peng did not mention Wang Yibo, who was also at the event but seated in the audience. This caused Wang Yibo’s fans to criticize Da Peng, accusing him of being ungrateful and disrespecting Wang Yibo, thus embarrassing the young actor. As a result, after the event, Chinese media discovered that director Da Peng unfollowed Wang Yibo on Weibo.
Consequently, Wang Yibo’s fans were even more irritated. They flooded Da Peng’s Weibo with insults, asserting, “Would this film have been made without Wang Yibo?”, “I don’t care about Da Peng or Xiao Peng, who would watch his film without Wang Yibo?”, and “Da Peng thanked a bunch of people but didn’t thank Wang Yibo—the soul of the movie?”
Meanwhile, according to QQ, during the promotion of “One and Only,” Wang Yibo made controversial statements like “What happens to the film afterward doesn’t concern me, as I’ve done my job as an actor.” During roadshows, Wang Yibo often misspoke, requiring director Da Peng to step in.
This isn’t the first time Wang Yibo’s fans have caused trouble, making other artists uncomfortable with him. Previously, actor Wang Yang, a co-star in “War of Faith,” deleted his praise for Wang Yibo after being attacked by the singer’s fans for an extended period.
According to QQ, Wang Yang and Wang Yibo co-starred in the TV drama “War of Faith,” where Wang Yibo was introduced first as the central male lead. Wang Yang, introduced third after Li Qin, was also labeled as a leading actor. Subsequently, the production company iQiYi submitted both Wang Yang and Wang Yibo for the Best Actor (Magnolia Award), but only Wang Yang made it to the final round.
Wang Yibo’s fans were outraged, claiming Wang Yang stole the nomination from their idol and that Wang Yang should have competed for Best Supporting Actor.
For days, they bombarded Wang Yang’s personal page with curses, wishing ill upon his family with vile language. They even wrote letters to the Magnolia Award organizers. The uproar led media and art management agencies to intervene. Wang Yibo, initially pitied for missing out on a nomination, faced criticism for failing to manage his fans and allowing them to insult his colleagues.
Additionally, two major fans of Wang Yibo, each with hundreds of thousands of followers, were banned from posting by Sina’s management. China’s largest social network, Weibo, deleted over 3,700 policy-violating posts and reviewed 654 accounts for frequent incitement.
Regarding the controversy, Wang Yang said he was focused on acting. However, he did delete his compliments for Wang Yibo from his page.
Chinese media site QQ also describes Wang Yibo as a controversial young star. He is often criticized for his stiff acting and exaggerated facial expressions when intense emotions are required. Moreover, Wang Yibo is faulted for always appearing with a cold, unfriendly expression in media appearances. He tends to give short, insufficient answers, making it difficult for reporters. Wang Yibo’s fans are frustrated and tired of his constant scandals.
To make it worse, even hardcore fans are leaving Wang Yibo. On June 16, a prominent fan account with over 270,000 followers announced they would stop supporting the actor. Another fan with more than 200,000 followers switched to supporting actor Huang Junjie.
According to Sohu, Wang Yibo disappointed fans by always having a distant expression. At the Weibo Movie Night, he appeared with an unpolished bare face. Fans also expressed frustration with his frequent use of unsuitable wigs.
Moreover, according to QQ, Wang Yibo hasn’t joined a new film crew in over 400 days. His old project has finished airing, and it will be a long wait before he releases new work. This will undoubtedly affect his reputation and career development.
Source: K14
