Tencent Vice President Sun Zhonghuai (left behind podium), singer Elva Hsiao, Show Lo and Editor-in-Chief of Tencent Video Wang Juan attend the launch ceremony for Tencent Video's Live Music on Friday in Beijing. Photos: Courtesy of Tencent Video

 

The old saying goes, "A prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold." However, applying this adage to disgraced celebrities seems overly idealistic. Whether disgraced celebrities can make a comeback and be accepted again by the public needs to be examined from multiple angles.

On Monday, disgraced singer and actor Show Lo's fan-meeting event once again drew public attention. He held a free fan event in Hangzhou and announced plans for charitable educational initiatives. While some netizens praised his professional skills and charitable deeds, many questioned whether he should reappear in the public eye.

Lo was condemned by his ex-girlfriend for being a serial cheater in 2020.

Sun Hang, a legal consultant based in Guangdong, told the Global Times that the severity of the wrongdoing is a key factor in determining whether a disgraced celebrity can make a comeback. 

"For relatively minor offenses, such as inappropriate remarks or misconduct, celebrities are often more likely to be reaccepted by society after showing genuine remorse and making amends. Therefore, public attitude largely determines the future of these celebrities," she said.

This isn't the first time Lo has hinted at a comeback. In August, he announced a national tour on social media, which was met with widespread resistance from the public. A poll conducted on Sina Weibo, showed that out of over 800 participants, only 58 supported his comeback, while the majority opposed it. This indicates that even without a a ban, public sentiment poses a significant obstacle to his return.

In addition to moral and social considerations, industry conventions also restrict the comeback of disgraced celebrities. In 2021, the China Association of Performing Arts issued the Self-Discipline Management Measures for Performing Artists in the Performance Industry, which advocates industry bans of one, three or five years, or permanently for different levels of misconduct. Such rules provide obstacles for the comeback of disgraced celebrities and offer society a standard to assess whether the celebrity has genuinely reformed, reflecting a principle of differentiated treatment based on the severity of the offense.

"Artists involved in serious illegal activities such as violence, sexual assault, and drug use have slim chances of making a comeback. Even if they gain public approval, they would still face bans from relevant authorities," Sun noted.

According to statistics from major Chinese social media platforms, over 50 celebrities disappear from the public eye annually due to various scandals. These platforms have adopted stricter review and management measures for disgraced celebrities attempting to return. For instance, Chinese rapper PGONE, who was banned for scandals involving drugs and other misconduct, had his account re-banned within 24 hours of his comeback attempt.

Social tolerance and forgiveness for wrongdoing vary across different cultures and backgrounds. 

US actor Robert Downey Jr, who had serious drug problems and multiple legal issues, eventually recovered through rehabilitation and became one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. 

Conversely, US actor Jonathan Majors, known for his role as the villain "Kang the Conqueror" in the Marvel films, faced backlash and was fired by Marvel and Disney after being accused of violent and harassing behavior toward his girlfriend, despite avoiding jail time.

Despite cultural differences, the return of disgraced celebrities is scrutinized to varying degrees not only in China but around the world.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn