‘Bling Empire’ star Leah Qin says ‘made-up drama’ on series ‘perpetuated Asian stereotypes’
June 13, 2023
“Bling Empire” star Leah Qin said during a recent interview that her now-canceled Netflix show “perpetuated Asian stereotypes.”
What she revealed: Qin, 26, told the Daily Mail that she was “not surprised” the three-season series never got a fourth season.
“‘Bling Empire’ only showed the glamor and perpetuated Asian stereotypes. This was not reality,” she said. “’Recently, there are a good amount of successful Asian movies in Hollywood. Asian Americans are amazing. Instead of the glamor and fake made-up drama, I think audiences would love to see a show about how we got to there.”
She noted that she “grew up without money” and “put a lot of sweat and effort to get where we are today,” which is why she wishes the show highlighted more of the “meaningful conversations” she and her co-stars had with each other.
“I enjoyed filming but how it showed up on TV was out of our control,” she said. “People edited it so much that it was completely twisted.”
The Chinese-born reality TV star and real estate developer also acknowledged the show’s decline in popularity, saying, “I know that people liked season one of the show. Not so much two and season three. I am not surprised.”
A “learning process”: Qin told the Daily Mail that being on the show was a “learning process” for her, and she is now ready to fight Asian stereotypes in her own way. She shared that she is working on her own reality show that highlights the “real” lives of Asians who “struggle” to become successful and wealthy in the U.S.
“My own show is about entrepreneurs,” she revealed. “They have their drama, but they are leaders. I can’t tell you the cast, but I can tell you that everyone is googleable. A lot of them come from San Francisco.”
About “Bling Empire”: The Netflix series follows Los Angeles’ “wildly wealthy Asian and Asian American fun seekers as they go all out with fabulous parties, glamor and drama,” according to its official synopsis.
Season 1 premiered on Jan. 15, 2021, followed by Season 2, which premiered on May 13, 2022, and Season 3. which premiered on Oct. 5, 2022. In April, Netflix announced that the show was canceled.
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