Singer Wang Leehom deserted by brands after wife’s online tirade alleging extramarital affairs
- Lee Jinglei accused Wang of various indiscretions two days after he confirmed they had filed for divorce
- Her nine-page post was viewed or commented on by millions of netizens; several firms quickly dropped Wang as a spokesman
Wang almost immediately came under fire from Asian netizens and within hours began being dropped as spokesperson by various brands.
Lee, married to the famous crooner for eight years, unleashed her nine-page tirade on Friday evening, covering various aspects of the couple’s relationship. Wang had confirmed on Facebook on Wednesday that he and Lee had filed for divorce.
Lee’s post quickly received millions of likes with thousands of netizens joining discussions on the topic, some joking that Wang, who was born and grew up in the US, was due an Oscar for playing a “high-quality idol” for years.
Lee wrote that if she had known that Wang wanted to live a “single life” she would not have wed him and had his three children.
Two hours after her post was published, Japanese auto brand Infiniti announced it would terminate its business agreement with Wang that had only officially started on December 16, according to a screenshot of the official Weibo account of Infiniti China.
Readboy, a manufacturer specialising in electronic learning products in China, soon followed suit, as did Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Seng Jewellery Co. It said its advertising cooperation agreement with Wang had expired on November 30 and there would be no further cooperation.
Hong Kong-based Green Monday, which supplies products from plant-based meat maker Beyond Meat across Asia, also announced that the firm and two brands under it, Green Common and OMNI, would terminate business cooperation with Wang.