The biggest entertainment news this past weekend in the Chinese-speaking regions of Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong was the unconfirmed report that young A-list Taiwanese movie star Kai Ko (Ko Chen Dong 柯震東) had been arrested for drug use in Beijing. That was followed by even more unconfirmed reports that the sting also netted international blockbuster movie legend Jackie Chan‘s son Jaycee Chan (Fang Zhu Min 房祖名). The news broke open with a weibo post by a girl claiming that her cop daddy was interrogating Kai Ko all night at a Beijing police station after Kai was arrested for drug use. The weibo was taken down shortly thereafter but not before the media jumped on it. Kai’s manager the famous agency director Angie Tsai was immediately asked if it was true and she promised to contact Kai and get back to the press, but then shortly thereafter told the media that she was unable to reach Kai herself. Yikes.
A weekend’s worth of media speculation and Kai’s friends and family growing increasingly worried about his MIA status finally got confirmation with the Monday morning statement release by the local Beijing police station that both Kai Ko and Jaycee Chan were arrested last Tuesday for marijuana use and/or possession and due to the strict drug laws in Mainland China they have been in administrative detention at the local jail since then and won’t be released until next Tuesday. After the 14-day administrative jail time, both will then be charged after being released (Kai for drug use, Jaycee for use, possession, and intent to distribute) and be sentenced accordingly. Both the Taiwan and Hong Kong entertainment world is understandably freaking out about this and both Kai and Jacyee’s dads have reportedly rushed to Beijing to deal with the fallout.
During the weekend of news frenzy, all of Kai’s famous entertainment friends like his break out movie You Are the Apple of My Eye director Giddens and costar Michelle Chen both also revealed they desperately tried to reach Kai after the drug arrest rumors broke but their calls all went straight to voicemail. His ex-girlfriend the songstress Elva Hsiao was asked about Kai’s drug arrest rumors and their break up a few months ago must’ve been bitter indeed because she coolly replied that she doesn’t know because she hasn’t been in touch with him for quite some time. Ouch. Kai also hadn’t updated his facebook, weibo, or instagram in over a week which pretty much meant he was off-the-grid.
This drug scandal is going to be a major MAJOR blight on Kai’s exploding movie star career. He got his first movie role in Gidden’s phenomenally popular You Are the Apple of My Eye which also won Kai the Best New Actor award at that year’s Golden Horse Awards. He also has a major role in all three movies in the popular Tiny Times trilogy. He’s actually supposed to be ramping up promotions soon for his next movie about to be released which is also directed by Giddens and based on another of his novels. It’s called A-choo (as in the sound one makes when sneezing) and is a superhero rom-com costarring Ariel Lin. The movie was scheduled to be released in two months on October 24th in China and Taiwan but who knows what will happen after this shocking scandal.
Kai’s directorial mentor and good friend Giddens had vehemently supported Kai when the drug arrest rumors first started saying it was impossible. After confirming it was true, Giddens posted a supremely angry and disappointed post on his facebook:
I am very heartbroken. Until the very last moment I hoped that it wasn’t what people thought. He couldn’t be reached and reportedly there was no record he was detained by the Beijing detention center. Both left me anxious and very scared, very frightened. But there was also the hope because he couldn’t be reached, hope that it was all just a misunderstanding. I prayed nonstop that it wasn’t true. I would rather use my entire life not making another movie in exchange for him to be upstanding in behavior. I just learned after much communication that my hopes have been dashed. Other than disappointment comes shame and anger. Those who accompanied you in all the hard work, those who shed tears along with you, you couldn’t have known about this. The hope that after you became famous you could be happy living as yourself. Yet you trampled on your good luck. Other than a fist to the face, I have nothing more to say to Kai Ko for the rest of this life. I’m sorry but I’m very very very heartbroken right now. I’m sorry.
我很傷心。一直到最後一刻我都希望事情不是大家想像。一直找不到人，找不到傳聞北京拘留所裡的官方拘捕資料，都讓我緊張又害怕，非常恐懼，卻又因為一直下落不明胡亂產生希望，覺得必有誤會，不斷祈禱千萬不要是真的，我願意拿我一生都不再拍電影來交換他的品性端正。剛剛多方打聽終於希望落空，除了失望，隨之而來的是羞愧與憤怒。旁邊陪伴你一起努力的人為你掉了多少眼淚，你不會知道。希望你成名後依然快樂做自己，你卻如此放縱糟蹋你的幸運。這輩子除了對著臉一拳，我沒有什麼話要跟柯震東說的了。對不起。我非常非常非常傷心。對不起。
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Heard they had 100g of Marijuana
Wow poor choice with Kai Ko...
Don't know this guy but I'm angry this will affect Ariel's movie with him.
Same here. I was looking forward to see Ariel onscreen again.
Why do famous people turns to drugs, it must be a universal disease in show business, to take drugs. I know they are just human beings, but they are role models for so many young fans to follow them. What a disappointment. I know I'm over generalizing this matter, but majority of actors/ress and singers do drugs in the western world, so it seems so do their counter parts in the far east too. I guess the trappings of fame and money does not exclude drug abuse and stupidity. If his friend and mentor the director is disappointed in him and no longer wish to be his friend than that says a lot!
I'm not defending him or anything but you're being too much. You try living in their shoes- the fame, papparazi, fans, anti-fans, etc. and not be overwhelmed or stressed out. I'm not saying that what he did was right but you made it seem like everybody who takes drugs just wants to do it cuz they wanna.
People who care about themselves, love and respect themselves and others would say NO to DRUGS, full stop. Drugs does not only affect the drug user but also everyone that knows them on a personal or intimate level. Drugs destroys lives.
Everyone has problems, everyone goes through some sort of stress, trauma etc in their lives. There are alternatives to relieve that stress, massages, meditation,a long vacation, see a shrink etc.
So yeah, people who take drugs want too, otherwise they wouldn't touch the stuff, whether its class, A, B or C drugs, a drug is a drug.
If a person have fans and are famous then they have a responsibility to those fans that hero worship them, and follow them, they are the ones at the end of the day that makes famous people famous.
Sorry but everyone know that the entertainment industry is a very stressful environment, its tough and there is no real escape for anyone in that industry. But if you have a strong network of supporters, then making a decision to take drugs is Big NO NO, why do it?
Both guys have ruined their lives, by the own action, that's enough punishment.
It makes me remember this quote:
I pity [celebrities]. No, I do. [Celebrities] were once perfectly pleasant human beings…but now…their wrath is awful…More than any of us, they wanted fame. They worked, they pushed… The morning after…each of them became famous, they wanted to take an overdose…because that giant thing they were striving for, that fame thing that was going to make everything okay, that was going to make their lives bearable, that was going to provide them with personal fulfillment and…happiness, had happened. And nothing changed. They were still them. The disillusionment turned them howling and insufferable.
Cynthia Heimel, The Village Voice, January 2, 1990
Pretty big cultural differences on display here, as my first reaction to this was surprise over the level of outrage for smoking marijuana. I get that mine is a very American attitude that doesn't really translate overseas, but that letter from Giddens seemed incredibly severe from someone who was allegedly a friend. In any case, I hope that these two men are able to get whatever support they need to bounce back from this scandal and that it doesn't negatively affect their upcoming projects, for the sake of their costars & other members of the creative team if nothing else.
In asian societies, drug abuse of ANY drug is considered illegal and terrible. I live in Singapore where possession of a certain amount may even cause the death penalty. While some people say it's overly harsh, I think it's good as it quite effectively deters people from dabbling in it.
Actually, I've read that societies/countires with harsh, severe penalties for drug use of this kind often have the worst cases/difficulty handling such issues. I have friends who live in countries like Singapore and they say their country has extreme undergound drug havens, moreso than regular (non-overboard with laws) countries thanks to harsh penalties like that. So I don't think harsh penalties like the death penalty is really better at deterring drug use.
I can see why Giddens was so upset, because now everything that Kai Ko has ever done will be tainted by the fact that he was arrested and held (and perhaps sentenced and jailed) for drug use. This means that Giddens' hard work will be viewed not on its own merits, but for some outside sensational appeal. There will also be doubts cast upon him, because he used Kai Ko in so many of his movies - did he know about it? Did he condone the drug use, or perhaps even introduce Kai to the drug culture? In Asia this is a serious offence, and as a frequent employer of Kai Ko, Giddens will also be affected.
Jaycee will be fine, I think. He is citizen of the US, if I am not mistaken, and his dad will prob do everything in his power to save him. Mainlaind jailtime equals death, its prob worse than hell there.
Actually Jaycee gave up his American citizenship a few years ago and is now a Chinese citizen (living/staying in Hong kong) So he will be punished accordingly. :)
That could mean that he's a HK citizen instead? You could have dual citizenship of HK & USA. (Cause I have that.) But if it's true that he's a Mainland China citizen, then he must have given up his US citizenship. Though I doubt that is the case. You must be stupid to want to give up your US citizenship for a Mainland China one...
I doubt Jaycee has Chinese citizenship, since that's one of the hardest citizenships to attain in the world. Like the above-poster said, he probably has dual citizenship of US/HK. Even as a US citizen, he is punishable by Chinese law, but since it's just marijuana, I think there will be bail that can save him jail time.
Yep. Taken from Wiki: "He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2009 and became a PRC citizen, earning him praise in Chinese media for bucking the trend of Chinese actors obtaining Singaporean or other foreign passports."
From Stareastasia.com: "Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan recently revealed that his son Jaycee Fang has given up his American citizenship and take up Chinese citizenship instead."
Wow, just wow. Then I hope his dad can't pull strings for him. If you choose to be a citizen of a country, you should live by that country's rules or be prepared to face the proper consequences if you do not.
I'm not going to look down on someone taking marihuana. That's not a big deal to me (I've never smoked anything myself, nor ever will). A lot of young people dabble in that – particularly those at Kai Ko's age – and to pretend otherwise, is deluding yourself.
The problem here is mainly that it's illegal, which I think doesn't make it worth the risk. Distributing however is a lot more iffy...
The other problem is that the entertainment world likes to present squeaky clean images, which are just utterly unrealistic.
Wow!!! First you think this is all a hoax but then you read about the positive test results and if their friends and agency can't reach them...then you know it's not good.
Kai Ko really hasn't had a good year-the breakup with Elva Hsiao, posting negative comments about her, the late night hang out with girls, and now this. I wonder what is next for his movie career?
Gidden's message laid it down!!! These two men are both ADULTS and should of known better and should serve time but I do hope they get help and learn from their mistake.
whoa, this is beyond idiotic. out of all places to get caught in, china is one of the worst. JC's son could face life imprisonment or capital punishment. if it's played by the books, Jaycee is mincemeat. I'm not surprised that folks are starting to break ties...b/c has anyone ever recovered from a tarnished reputation of a drug related arrest, in China of all places? I don't think the argument is about the severity of using marijuana but rather about the country's cultural and social mores. Literally zero tolerance for it. KK just went and ruined his life at 23 - that's incredibly sad. He went from bankable to being a liability.
Kai Ko's career is basically over. He's not a B-or-C lister who can slink off and come back in a few years in supporting roles. He was an A-lister flying at the top of his career. I'm sad he made the choice and ended up being caught. Regardless of whether we think pot use is not a big deal, ANY DRUG USE is a huuuuuge deal in Asian countries both legally and morally. That's the problem here really - Kai is an actor in a a place where he is expected to be a role model in not breaking the law (doing something that is not legal in that place, i.e. doing pot in China) and not doing something parents think is bad (i.e. doing drugs which includes smoking pot).
That's my take on it too. I couldn't care less if someone smokes pot because I am an American in a jurisdiction where it will probably be legal soon. BUT. To do so knowing that in your environment that means career suicide, universal stigma and possibly a nasty jail sentence is insane. Why on earth would it be worth the risk? I mean, if you are dying to smoke pot, go on vacation to Colorado and marinate in it! Don't do it in PRC.
They were caught with marijuana, not heroin. They will not get life imprisonment or capital punishment. I doubt they will even get jail time since their families can probably pay the bail. There is actually quite a long history of entertainers doing marijuana (and sometimes worse) in China, but they are usually good about hiding it or has a good relation with the media so it's not publicized as much.
Kai Ko has the unfortunate luck of being the current IT boy, which means a lot of public attention, as well as a short career, so he doesn't have as strong of a foundation in public goodwill. He also hit jackpot because China has been seriously amping up its campaign against the "three evils" of sex/porn, gambling, and drug use earlier this year, so he basically rammed himself against the gunpoint to be publicly reprimanded at this point.
He might have some chance regaining popularity in TW or HK, but in mainland, he might get sanctioned for a couple years and suffer serious losses in popularity.
Zhou Xun and Faye Wong are some A-listers who have been rumored to be even with drugs, even hard drugs I believe. Recent confirmed high profile cases are actor Gao Hu, singer Li Dai Mo, and popular scriptwriter/director Nin Cai Shen. They all have definitely took a huge career in their careers.
Criminals are criminals. Not a scandal, but criminal acts.