‘Humiliation’ claims by late pop diva Coco Lee hit top China TV talent show sparking probe and wave of online anger
- In leaked audio recordings late singer alleges she was ‘mistreated’ on stage when she was suffering a host of mental and physical problems
- Developing scandal slashes market value of production company behind show Sing! China in half, leads to calls for boycott
Leaked recordings of the late pop star Coco Lee detailing alleged mistreatment and “humiliation” by a top TV talent show in China have caused a wave of outrage on mainland social media.
The outcry over allegations surrounding Sing! China has also led to calls for a boycott of the programme and slashed the market value of the production company behind it by HK$26 billion (US$3.3 billion) since they surfaced.
Just over a month after the iconic performer committed suicide, the scandal has become a top trending topic on Weibo, igniting widespread online discussions about the operation of talent shows.
The scandal began to unfold when a nine-minute audio clip of Lee emotionally recounting being mistreated on Sing! China, an eight-year-old programme modelled on the hit global reality competition show The Voice, on which Lee was a judge and mentor in 2022.
Sing! China was previously known as The Voice of China but was ordered to change its name by a Beijing court in 2016 after a legal dispute.