Who is Kris Wu's accuser Du Meizhu? Former EXO star detained over teen's rape allegation
Chinese-Canadian actor and K-Pop icon Kris Wu has been detained by police on suspicion of rape after multiple women came forward with allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against him. The complaints came to light earlier this month after a young student named Du Meizhu accused the actor of raping her while she was drunk. Wu, who is considered one of the biggest Chinese celebrities at present, has been accused of inappropriate behavior by no less than 24 women.
Wu, however, has vehemently denied all the allegations, posting online, "If there have been such actions, please don’t worry, I’ll go to prison myself!! I take legal responsibility for my words above!!” He further specified that there was no "groupie sex" or "underage" rape as alleged by Meizhu and other survivors. Meanwhile, Chaoyang Police have released a statement on the case, clarifying, "After police investigated the reports made online regarding ‘Wu Yi Fan tricking young girls into having sexual relations multiple times,’ Wu Yi Fan (Male, 30, Canadian) has been detained by the Chaoyang police on suspicions of rape. The case is currently ongoing."
READ MORE
Kris Wu, whose actual name is Wu Yi Fan, is a 30-year-old Chinese-Canadian actor, singer, model, and record producer. He is best known for starring in several blockbuster hits like 'Mr. Six', 'Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back' as well as his Hollywood debut in Vin Diesel-starrer 'XXX: Return of Xander Cage'. Wu is also a former member of the Korean-Chinese boy band EXO and its sub-group EXO-M under SM Entertainment. He had quit the K-pop group in 2014.
Who is Du Meizhu?
The first woman to come forward with allegations of rape against Kris Wu was 19-year-old student Du Meizhu. From July 8, 2021, Meizhu shared a series of posts on Weibo, detailing how she was tricked by Wu, who violated her consent to have sex when she was in a drunken state.
Meizhu met Wu when she was 17 and was tricked into attending a booze-filled party at the actor's home. At that time, Wu's manager had told Meizhu that she was being considered for the lead female role in an upcoming music video of the star. However, at the party, she was reportedly pressurized to drink alcohol. She alleges that Wu later forced himself on her while she was drunk, despite her clear unwillingness. The teenager said that was the beginning of what she had thought was their relationship. In March, however, he stopped returning her messages.
Meizhu further revealed in her posts that she was contacted by multiple other women, including minors, who also claimed that Wu had seduced them with false promises of jobs. In total, around 24 women have come forward with serious allegations against the 30-year-old actor.
Wu, meanwhile, continues to deny the allegations of plying Meizhu with alcohol or raping girls while they were unconscious. He also denies having sex with minors and enticing girls to have sex in exchange for favors. Under Chinese law, under-18s are considered minors, while the age of sexual consent is 14.
His lawyers are suing Du for defamation.