Barbie Hsu's estranged spouse and former maternal in-law have been effectively barred from Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, amidst allegations of capitalizing on the deceased actress's demise for monetary benefits. Chinese and Taiwanese media outlets, such as the Global Times, Beijing News, and The Paper, reported that Douyin has indefinitely suspended the accounts belonging to Zhang Lan, Hsu's former mother-in-law, and Wang Xiaofei, her ex-husband.
Douyin elaborated on the suspension, stating, "They leveraged Hsu's death for exaggerated promotional activities and marketing, suggested false videos aimed at monetary gains, persistently shared misleading content, and produced illegal promotional videos for profit. Despite prior warnings, they failed to rectify their conduct." The platform further vowed to "intensify its crackdown on all forms of violations and sensational misinformation to uphold a responsible online community."
Additionally, Weibo, often regarded as China's equivalent of Twitter, imposed a ban on Zhang's live broadcasts, citing her for "maliciously posting or disseminating rumors that harmed the deceased and her family." It was reported that Zhang garnered a substantial amount of money from a Douyin live broadcast on the day Hsu's ashes were repatriated to Taiwan. During the broadcast, she referenced Hsu's passing, drawing in 286,000 viewers and amassing over 1 million yuan ($139,000) in revenue.
Meanwhile, erroneous assertions spread across Weibo, claiming that Wang had arranged for a private jet to transport Hsu's remains. In response, Hsu's younger sister, the TV personality Dee Hsu, refuted this rumor through her agency, stating, "Our family and my brother-in-law personally took care of all the funeral arrangements. I can't fathom why such falsehoods are circulating."
Barbie Hsu, the late wife of Korean singer DJ Koo (Koo Jun-yup), passed away on February 2 due to complications from pneumonia stemming from influenza while vacationing in Japan with her family.
