Prada, Tag Heuer Ambassador Cai Xukun Responds to Online Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
Chinese idol Cai Xukun, the face of Prada, Tag Hauer and De Beers in China, has responded to allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior with a female minor, which have led Chinese authorities to issue a warning regarding the ads in which he appears.
On Monday, Cai released a statement on Weibo confirming his relationship with a “Ms. C,” who had accused him of forcing her to have an abortion. He denied all other allegations that have been circulating on social media for the past week.
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“I was single two years ago and had a relationship with Ms. C. Our private matters were resolved without further entanglement in 2021,” Cai wrote in the statement.
“I want to clarify to everyone and the media that my relationship with Ms. C was consensual. There is no such thing as a ‘[having] minor [sex]’ or ‘forced abortion.’ No illegal activity was involved. Please do not spread rumors, do not believe in rumors from social media,” the statement continued.
“This was a painful lesson for me. I’ve been blaming myself for the past two years, and I regret what happened. I apologize again to all my fans and media friends who have been following me and witnessing my growth. I will strictly limit my words and deeds from now on and accept public and social supervision,” Cai wrote in the statement.
Last Tuesday, a Chinese social media user alleged that the 24-year-old Cai had a one-night stand with a woman named “Ms. C” two years ago at a Beijing karaoke bar. The social media user claimed the woman got pregnant and notified Cai, who allegedly told the woman to get an abortion.
Social media also carried anonymous reports that Cai’s mother and manager allegedly hired a private investigator to follow “Ms. C” and later paid her 500,000 renminbi, or $69,000, for her silence on the matter.
On Saturday, Beijing’s Advertising Association issued a statement about potential celebrity endorsement risks concerning a Chinese singer whose last name is Cai. On Sunday, Chinese state media CCTV removed all Cai-related content from its video streaming platform Yangshipin.
On Monday, an hour after Cai published his statement, a Weibo blogger posted a message about another alleged relationship that Cai had with a female minor. Cai has denied those allegations. Cai’s Studio shared on Weibo that the company has “notified the police” in regards to the “defamatory posts.”
Cai’s two posts quickly began trending on Weibo, and reached more than 4 billion views at the time of publishing. He has around 39 million followers on the platform.
Cai is scheduled to perform in Singapore on July 15 as a part of his Kun 2023 Maze World Tour, but it is unclear whether future performances will go forward.
The celebrity represents 40 brands including Prada, Tag Hauer, De Beers and Clé de Peau Beauté.
WWD has contacted those brands for comment.
Prada has been caught up in several other Chinese celebrity scandals and controversies in recent years.
Last year, the Italian brand severed ties with Li Yifeng after the male actor was detained by local authorities for visits to sex workers, which is illegal in China.
In 2021, Prada ended its ambassadorship with Zheng Shuang over another abortion-related issue eight days after the partnership was unveiled.
Chun Xia, a Chinese actress and Prada ambassador, has been temporarily banned from Chinese social media after voicing support for the so-called “white paper” protest that spread across China last November in response to draconian lockdown measures.
In an effort to diversify its local celebrity partnerships, Prada enlisted the Chinese basketball player Shuyu Yang as its latest brand ambassador. Ma Long, a Chinese table tennis player and Olympic champion, was appointed as a face for China last January.
Chinese actor Li Xian is also a Prada ambassador. He attended the brand’s spring 2024 men’s fashion show in Milan and generated considerable buzz on Chinese social media.
According to industry sources, Prada is set to reveal an ambassadorship with Yang Mi, a top Chinese actress and singer who has more than 112 million followers on Weibo.
Yang, who is also the face of Etro, Estée Lauder and Victoria’s Secret in China, was famously known in the Western fashion world for cutting ties with Versace back in 2019 when the brand mislabeled Macau and Hong Kong as separate entities from China on T-shirts.
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