On August 3, Taiwanese host, Dee Hsu (小S), was under fire with Chinese netizens with her Instagram comments supporting Taiwanese Olympians and referring to them as “national athletes”. Chinese netizens viewed her comments as outright support for Taiwanese independence. As a result, they threatened to boycott her. Four Chinese brands either announced their termination or that their contract with Dee Hsu and her daughter, Elly, had already expired.
After the backlash, Dee Hsu spoke to the press briefly and asked them to let her rest a bit first. Dee Hsu’s mother said she and Dee Hsu’s husband had already gave her a scolding and said she was too overly passionate about this year’s Olympics. She also said Dee Hsu asked the netizens and brands not to blacklist her and hope their sales volume wouldn’t be affected by this.
On the following day, Barbei Hsu’s (大S) husband, Wang Xiaofei (汪小菲), reposted a post that said Dee Hsu had always been consistently proud of being Chinese. He also explained Dee Hsu had just taken a COVID vaccine and was sleeping all day, hence why she asked the media to let her rest. Wang Xiaofei also said in his years of knowing Dee Hsu, she had always wished that people from sides of the straits to peacefully recognize their ancestors.
On August 5, Dee Hsu directly responded to the controversy, saying, “I am not a Taiwan independence [supporter]! During the pandemic, please protect yourself and your family well. Wishing you good health and safety.” Barbie Hsu showed support for Dee Hsu by liking the post. However, netizens in the comments asked Dee Hsu to post her stance on Instagram as well.
