Taiwan's #MeToo: TV host Blackie Chen denies claims of sexual harassment

Two more women have accused Blackie Chen of sexual harassment after Tina Chou came out with her allegations earlier this week.

Taiwanese DJ Yao Jiao, better known by her stage name DJ Swallow, took to Instagram Stories yesterday to recount the time when Blackie tried to get her to sleep in his hotel bed.

Just like Tina, DJ Swallow was part of the girl group Hey Girl, which was formed by Blackie.

She allegedly received a call from Blackie to join him at a hotel in Kaohsiung with other artists. Upon arrival, she discovered that he was alone in the room. After a brief conversation, he jokingly suggested she could stay the night.

"Look at how big my bed is. You could sleep here," Blackie allegedly said. DJ Swallow wrote that something felt amiss, and she quickly left the room after that.

"I wasn't violated, but something didn't feel right," DJ Swallow wrote on Instagram. She revealed that she didn't tell anyone about the incident for fear of being ridiculed, and concluded her post by wishing all of Blackie's victims a speedy recovery.

On Wednesday, Taiwanese actress Yuan Kuo posted a lengthy Facebook post which detailed two alleged encounters with him.

She claimed that the first time, he grabbed her from behind and demanded she kiss him. To get out of the situation, she said she kissed him on the cheek and he let her go.

In the second instance, she alleged that he took her to the home he shared with his wife Christine Fan and threw her on the bed. She said she struggled furiously and felt disgusted when his lower body pressed onto her. Only when she started crying did he relent and let her leave.

She said she has since gotten over the incidents, which allegedly took place in 2015, when Christine was pregnant with twin boys, who are now eight. She added that she has made peace with herself and even appeared on one of his television shows in 2019.

Yuan Kuo said she was standing up in solidarity with Tina Chou, who first raised allegations against Blackie. “There is only one reason why I decided to speak out now, that is, I don’t want Da Ya to be alone.”

Blackie's representative said in a subsequent statement: “We will not respond to unfounded accusations.” Blackie and his wife Christine have also filed a civil lawsuit against Tina, seeking NT$10 million (S$436,000) in compensation to “restore the reputation of the parties concerned”. The couple also wanted an apology and said the money would be donated to charities which protect women and victims of crimes.

Earlier this week, Taiwanese singer Tina Chou, also known by her stage name Da Ya (Big Tooth), alleged on social media on Tuesday morning that she was sexually harassed by her former boss – a “Mr Chen” – 11 years ago.

It didn't take netizens long to figure out that the "Mr Chen" in question is Blackie Chen. The television host has denied these allegations by Da Ya, who his agency previously managed.

Tina, 38, wrote in a long post on Facebook that she had gone to Hong Kong to record a show in July 2012 with five people, comprising a female make-up artist, a male hairstylist, her male manager, “Mr Chen” and his male manager.

They returned to the hotel after a day of interviews, and in the lift, “Mr Chen” asked Tina for her room number.

She claimed that “Mr Chen” then came to her room and hugged her from behind, before asking for sex.

Tina told “Mr Chen” that she treated him like an elder brother and reminded him that he was married.

Blackie Chen, 46, married Taiwanese singer Christine Fan, 47, also known by her stage name FanFan, in 2011. The couple have eight-year-old twin sons. Blackie is also the chief executive of Taiwanese professional basketball league P. League+. 

“No choice. Your Sister FanFan doesn’t like this kind of thing very much,” he allegedly said in 2012.

Tina wrote: “I couldn’t believe what I just heard. A man with the image of a loving husband, with them portraying the appearance of a dream couple on screen. How could he say such things after I had witnessed their unswerving love for each other?”

“Mr Chen” then allegedly asked to kiss her after she rejected his advances repeatedly, before he left the room. He then returned to ask for some make-up remover so that he could use this as an excuse in case he bumped into someone.

Tina was a first-generation member of Blackie’s variety show Blackie’s Teenage Club (2005 to 2009) and the leader of girl group Hey Girl, formed by participants of Blackie’s Teenage Club. She was also a former artiste under his agency before leaving in 2014.

Blackie reacted to the post a few hours later with a statement through his lawyers. He denied the allegations and said he would pursue legal action. His wife issued a similar statement through her manager.

Tina responded through her manager that she was not surprised by his reply, reiterating that what she said was true.

This story was first published in The Straits Times.