Zhang Lan and Wang Xiaofei kicked out of Chinese TikTok
10 Feb - Douyin has permanently banned the accounts of Zhang Lan and Wang Xiaofei, Barbie Hsu's former mother-in-law and ex-husband respectively, following their conduct after Barbie's passing.
The social media platform announced on 8 February that both parties had "violated public order, social norms and moral standards, disrespected the deceased and their families, and provoked widespread public backlash."
Li Liang, vice president of Douyin, explained: "As they have violated the rules many times in the past and have been punished, but have never corrected them, we finally decided to ban them."
The controversy emerged after a Chinese influencer known as "I am Xiao Xiao Jian," who reportedly has connections to Zhang, claimed during a livestream that Wang had paid for the private charter that transported the late actress's ashes from Japan to Taiwan.
Zhang had liked this stream, which subsequently gained traction in global news outlets and deeply distressed Barbie's family, compelling her widower DJ Koo to address these rumours during his time of grief.
Meanwhile, Zhang, who had her money-making tool taken away, denied the allegations made by Douyin, stating that she had merely liked "I am Xia Xiaojian's" video without sharing it on her personal account. She did acknowledge, however, that she had not verified the charter flight claims with her son Wang.
Additionally, Sina Weibo has suspended the live broadcast function on Zhang's account.
