A local production house announced last night it has fired social media influencer Wendy Cheng, better known as Xiaxue, in the wake of outrage over her controversial tweets and subsequent reaction.
Clicknetwork TV, which produces lifestyle and reality programs including Cheng’s own long-running show, announced it would replace her as the host of its upcoming The Public Investigator, and made it clear it did not support the “divisive” way she conveyed her views.
“We believe that there are many ways to shine a light on issues, and we do not support opinions delivered in a manner that is divisive. To be clear, we are against racism, bigotry, and hate,” it said online yesterday.
Earlier this month, Cheng was flamed by the public and was targeted by multiple police complaints, mostly for her decade-old racist and xenophobic tweets targeting ethnic groups. Confronted with her old messages, 36-year-old Xiaxue doubled down, saying she had been sexually harassed and abused by members of said group in her youth, though she stopped short of naming them.
Xiaxue deletes racist posts, cites past sexual assault to vilify ‘Group B’
Some members of the public responded by pressuring the brands she worked with to drop her.
Coconuts Singapore has reached out to Cheng for comment.
This morning, Cheng, a right-wing provocateur, called those campaigning against her a “cancel culture mob” and implied that she had been the victim of “cancel culture,” the term is given by those who feel unfairly targeted by public shaming and withdrawal of support for a public figure or company – often through public shaming – after they have done or said something offensive or objectionable.
Cancel culture is an en vogue term mostly circulating through right-leaning media for what’s decried as censorship of conservative voices. Yet it has become a coverall complaint for any unwelcome backlash to one’s behavior, particularly in the American neofascist movement. Cheng is an avowed fan of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Narelle Kheng Trump-shames Xiaxue for defending racist tweets
After losing her contract, Cheng called on people, including brands, to “stand up” against the pressure, which she described as creating a “dire situation.”
“Cancel culture is when a mob forms to punish transgressors when they are perceived to have committed some kind of unacceptable social behavior and this is largely done in the name of social change,” Cheng said.
She suggested that others could share her fate.
“To protect the volatile future of your career, you need to stand up against cancel culture now,” she added.
Clicknetwork has more than 1.2 million subscribers and has produced more than 220 episodes of Cheng’s show Xiaxue’s Guide To Life since 2011.
“Clicknetwork has always supported a diversity of opinions, voices, and open debate. While we appreciate the diversity of voices that all our hosts bring to the table, none of their personal views represent those of the channel,” the network said.
It added that it would communicate its standards to its hosts to “ensure that the Clicknetwork community takes greater care in their words and actions, and encourage all to do the same.”
Other stories you should check out:
Man reports Xiaxue to police over 2010 ‘little india’ tweet
Xiaxue deletes racist posts, cites past sexual assault to vilify ‘Group B’
Narelle Kheng Trump-shames Xiaxue for defending racist tweets
