On July 30, Chinese media outlet QQ reported that Singaporean actress Eleanor Lee won a defamation lawsuit against her former assistant, who was ordered to issue a public apology and pay damages after spreading false and damaging rumors about her personal life. In May, the former assistant posted a doctored audio clip falsely claiming that Lee insulted Chinese people by calling them “idiots.” The assistant also alleged that Lee had a chaotic private life and knowingly pursued someone who was already married.
These serious accusations sparked massive backlash in China. Millions of netizens harshly criticized Lee, demanding that she be banned from the Chinese entertainment industry. As a result, she was permanently blacklisted from acting in mainland Chinese productions. Her drama Foshan Sea, in which she starred alongside actor Cheng Yi and was scheduled to air in June, was indefinitely postponed. Another project she was in talks for, Star 1999, also fell through.
In an attempt to calm the public, the production team of Foshan Sea erased Lee’s image from posters, trailers, and all promotional materials. Over 60 major media outlets joined the boycott, publicly condemning her. State-run media outlets like People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency swiftly deleted all posts and images related to the drama, effectively erasing her presence from the project. Lee became a target of national outrage.
According to QQ, although Lee has now legally cleared her name and won the lawsuit, her reputation remains tainted in the eyes of the Chinese entertainment industry. At just 26 years old, her career in mainland China appears to be over, with many production teams still hesitant to cast her.
Eleanor Lee, born in 1999 in Taiwan, rose to fame through an Apple commercial, earning her the nickname “Apple Goddess of China.” She is the daughter of artist Peter Yu and Mediacorp actress Quan Yi Fong. After her parents’ divorce, she was adopted by celebrity hairstylist Li Ying Da as his goddaughter and took his surname at her 14th birthday party.
Trained in the arts from a young age, she excelled academically and musically. In 2017, she passed the entrance exams for both the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama—scoring first place nationwide for the latter—but ultimately chose to attend the Beijing Film Academy.
Lee’s acting credits include The Big Boss, Fake Princess, My Poseidon, Warm Time With You, and she also played the iconic role of Nie Xiaoqian in the web movie remake of The Enchanting Phantom. Despite her talent and early promise, her future in the Chinese film and television industry remains uncertain following the damage caused by her former assistant’s betrayal.
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