KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — Taiwanese celebrity host Dee Hsu has lost millions of endorsements after referring to Taiwan’s Olympians as ‘national competitors’.
Bloomberg reported that Hsu’s have distanced themselves from her, saying they would not extend contracts with her.
Hsu, popularly known as Little S, had made the comment during the women’s singles badminton final between Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying and China’s Chen Yufei on Sunday in an Instagram post.
The post that drew social media users ire has since been deleted.
Most Taiwanese celebrities rarely reveal their stance on Taiwan’s political status for fear of being locked out of the lucrative Chinese market or angering fans at home who identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese.
Today Online reported that Hsu, who started out as a singer in the 1990s, was lambasted for “making use of the Olympics to show her support for Taiwan’s independence”.
They pointed out that athletes from Taiwan compete under the name “Chinese Taipei”, and that Hsu “shouldn’t make futile attempts to present Taiwan as a sovereign nation”.
Hsu’s 15-year-old daughter Elly was also not spared as she had been fired as the face of fashion label Jorya over Hsu’s comment.
Taiwanese media estimated that Dee has lost NT$32 million (RM4.9 million) in income as a result of her cancelled endorsements.
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