Chinese actor Li Yifeng has been dropped from several luxury brands, including Prada, after being arrested by Beijing police for “soliciting prostitutes” on more than one occasion.
The 35-year-old actor — who starred in the 2021 film “The Pioneer” as former communist leader Mao Zedong — and his studio released a statement on Saturday denying the allegations.
“I hope Li Yifeng will live on in his film and television work, will live responsibly and will also live in the social responsibility of today’s youth, instead of living among lawsuits and fighting against malicious rumors,” Li wrote, according to the Global Times.
His statement has since been deleted and search terms related to Li have also been banned from Weibo.
The actor later confessed to the criminal charges, according to a Weibo post by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
Li was placed in the top 10 richest Chinese celebrities list by Forbes in 2015, with a net worth of 69 million yuan (nearly $10 million).
Besides Prada, luxury watchmaker Panerai, sporting goods store Asics, Chinese natural herbal remedy King To Nin Jiom, golf equipment manufacturer Honma, Zhenguoli under Mengniu, Luk Fook Jewelry, Sensodyne, L’Oreal, RemyMartin and Budweiser have all cut ties with the actor as of Sunday evening, according to multiple reports.
The Huading Awards in Macao also announced on Sunday that its organizing committee has decided to rescind Li’s titles of “Best Actor in China’s Top 100 TV Dramas” and “The National Audience’s Favorite Movie Star.”
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