2025 may be the lowest point in Esther Yu‘s career. From a shocking family scandal to cyberbullying accusations and a wave of brands cutting ties, the actress was thrown into a crisis so deep that even her most loyal fans struggled to defend her. Controversy after controversy erupted, leading netizens to brand her as a “drama-queen.”

The scandal exploded when Esther Yu’s father, Yu Feijie, was accused of embezzlement and illegal business practices. The image of a “silver-spoon heiress” instantly collapsed, dragging her reputation into the storm. Though Yu Feijie quickly filed a defamation lawsuit against a netizen, the case was widely seen as dodging the real issues — it failed to address serious allegations like state capital transactions or high-interest lending. The court even had to publicly announce the case due to being unable to locate the defendant, giving netizens more reason to suspect it was merely a smokescreen.

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But the crisis didn’t stop there. In just one week, Esther Yu lost 720,000 followers on Weibo — a plunge that stunned many. Old controversies such as bullying, online harassment, and family business issues were suddenly unearthed again.

One of the loudest allegations came from actress Zhang Haoyue, who claimed she was bullied and isolated by Esther during the reality show First Year. Shortly afterward, actor Zhao Zhiwei also spoke up, revealing he had been harassed and cursed at for eight years, all because of subtle implications Esther had made — which led fans to falsely assume a romantic history. He firmly denied any relationship with her and said his career was ruined by the rumors.

At the same time, old videos of Esther resurfaced, showing her allegedly disrespecting fellow actors like Ding Yuxi, Wang Hedi, Zhu Xudan, and Xu Kai — often acting like the center of attention, criticizing others’ looks, interrupting conversations, or disrespecting seniors like Ayunga and Fan Wei. The once-celebrated “adorable heiress” image was now being reinterpreted as arrogance and poor character.

Since August, she’s nearly vanished from the public eye. Her Weibo has stopped updating, her October schedule included only one voice-acting project, and her Douyin account lost 3 million followers. Her new drama projects have been postponed indefinitely, and she was absent from several major events.

Following the scandal, her downfall in advertising officially began. Yousuanru deleted all content related to her, while Joocyee and Honor 300 Series confirmed the end of their partnerships. The most shocking was Chando — which posted a livestream schedule with her one day, only to cancel it the next. The fact that so many brands “backed out” at once sparked widespread rumors that Esther was about to be banned from mainstream media.

On December 6, Esther held a birthday fan meeting with ticket prices ranging from 388 to 1,588 RMB, similar to a singer’s concert. Ironically, her fans had previously mocked Zhao Lusi for holding a free fan meeting to “lure fans,” but now, critics were quick to call out the hypocrisy.

Even though her fanbase tried to defend her — saying “Physical albums cost money, overseas fan meets cost money, birthdays too… but love is priceless” — the public backlash over excessive monetization continued to intensify.

Adding fuel to the fire, her birthday event clashed with iQIYI’s Screaming Night, one of the platform’s biggest annual festivals featuring many of their stars. The fact that she held her party 12 days before her actual birthday, and on the same day as her sponsor’s major event, led to speculation that Esther had been removed from iQIYI’s artist lineup.

The year 2025 closed with a media storm like never before for Esther Yu. After her family scandal and a wave of brands cutting ties, her new drama Speed and Love was launched with a large-scale promotional campaign — believed to be a last-ditch effort to save her reputation. But the response fell short of expectations, and many suspected she was trying to copy Zhao Lusi’s “baiting” marketing strategy, further fueling tensions between the two fandoms.

As Speed and Love struggled, another drama unfolded — rumors exploded that Tencent had wiped all Esther Yu content from their platform, sparking fears of a “soft ban.” Although this was later clarified by local media as a search system error, even before the drama aired, there were already marketing posts speculating that it would flop and that Esther was “past her prime.”

Yet despite the negativity and relentless gossip, the latest move from the entertainment industry proves she’s far from finished. iQIYI officially announced Esther Yu as the lead actress in their new major production, A Thought South of the River — a bold statement made immediately after Speed and Love aired, almost as if to reclaim her position. Now, Esther-related hashtags are dominating trending charts, and she has once again become the center of online attention — successfully weathering the storm and maintaining her status as a leading Gen-Z actress.

This has led many to one undeniable conclusion: Esther Yu must have serious backing — either from powerful figures or a well-connected family. In the end, despite the boycotts and widespread hate, Esther Yu remains firmly in the game, showing the world that she is not, and perhaps never was, over.