Celebrity scandals that rocked showbiz in 2020

It's safe to say that 2020 is going down as one of the worst years we can remember.

Within the showbiz industry, some celebrities also sent shockwaves with their jaw-dropping shenanigans.

From the ugliest, messy affairs to social media spats, here is a summary of the scandalous entertainment news that headlined the year. 

Show Lo's sex scandals 

Taiwanese pop star Show Lo's multiple affairs, including his participation in orgies, were revealed in a lengthy Weibo post in April by Grace Chow, his then-girlfriend of nine years. Show responded with a short reply, saying he would "reflect" on his mistakes. 

The next day, he published an apology to Grace on Instagram and seemingly admitted to the accusations. Netizens angrily demanded his removal from current and upcoming Chinese TV programmes, and he reportedly lost NT$1.8 million (S$85,274).

In a further twist, Grace tagged Taiwanese TV host-actress Linda Chien, better known by her nickname Butterfly, in an Instagram thread about checking for STDs, not-quite-subtly revealing her as one of Show's lovers.

Unexpectedly, he addressed the scandal again when he posted a lengthy love letter to Grace in May.

Aliff Aziz back with new drama, and it isn't a TV show

Local actor-singer Aliff Aziz's list of controversies in 2019 unfortunately spilled over to 2020.

In a video posted on Facebook in January, Aliff is seen undoing his trousers to flash his private parts while saying: "Suck my ****".  The 29-year-old was also caught in another incident where he was physically assaulted by another man. 

Things then took an unexpected turn. In May, he and his wife, 26-year-old Malaysian actress Bella Astillah, reportedly revoked their divorce. The couple, who married in 2016 and divorced last May, also had their second child in July. Aliff was unable to be in Malaysia for the birth of his daughter due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

EXO's Chanyeol accused by ex-girlfriend of cheating throughout 3-year relationship

Chanyeol from the popular K-pop group EXO was accused by an alleged former girlfriend of cheating on her repeatedly during their three-year relationship. 

The woman revealed in an online post in October that she had discovered the bitter truth just before their third anniversary. She claimed the 27-year-old idol cheated on her with more than 10 women, and they included "girl group members, YouTubers, broadcast DJs, dancers, stewardesses, and more".

The post was also accompanied by pictures of Chanyeol with the woman digitally edited out of the photos. His management agency SM Entertainment declined to comment.

Bollywood actresses investigated for being in drug syndicate

When actor Sushant Singh Rajput died on June 14 this year, India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) suspected foul play and brought in his girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, for questioning. 

Bollywood actresses Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, and Sara Ali Khan were also called in for questioning with regards to alleged drug use.

In September, the NCB arrested Rhea for her alleged active role "in a drug syndicate connected with drug supplies", according to her bail order. She is currently still in jail in Mumbai and has maintained her innocence. 

Local celebs flouting Covid-19 regulations

33-year-old Ah Boys To Men star Maxi Lim and some of his celebrity guests are under scrutiny for breaching Covid-19 restrictions in his wedding dinner with influencer Lizy Teo on Dec 20. 

A reader had tipped off The New Paper after seeing videos and photos of the event posted on social media.

Another reader also informed Shin Min Daily News that Singapore-based Chinese actor Jeffrey Xu had a party in October where 13 people, including celebs Terence Cao, Shane Pow, and Sonia Chew, were standing close together without masks. 

In light of the investigations, Sonia will not be hosting Mediacorp's countdown event Let's Celebrate 2021. She posted her apology on Instagram, calling the party a "severe lapse of judgement". 

Actors Julie Tan, Jeremy Chan, and Dawn Yeoh later admitted they were at the same party and issued public apologies.

Twelve Cupcakes founders Daniel Ong and Jaime Teo in court for underpaying foreign employees

On Dec 29, former local radio DJ Daniel Ong and his ex-wife, former actress Jaime Teo, were brought to court for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act linked to pastry chain Twelve Cupcakes, which they founded.

They allegedly allowed the chain to underpay the wages of their foreign employees between 2013 and 2016.

Earlier this month, the chain, which is now under new owners Kolkata-based Dhunseri Group, also pleaded guilty to 15 charges of underpaying its employees in 2017 and 2018, according to The Straits Times.

Daniel, 45, and Jaime, 43, are each facing 24 charges involving eight employees.

'I Not Stupid' actor Joshua Ang files for divorce 

On Dec 14, 31-year-old Joshua Ang went on social media to announce his "happy divorce" from his wife of two years, Shannon Low. The couple have a two-year-old son Jeddy.

However, Low, 29, bit back hard and shared her side of the story. In a series of Instagram stories, she accused Joshua of being an "abusive, violent and irresponsible father".

He vehemently denied the accusations and told AsiaOne that he would be seeking legal counsel. He also addressed the "false and baseless accusations", calling them a personal vendetta.

Dee Kosh's sexual harassment allegations

In a statement posted on Instagram on Aug 17, local YouTuber Dee Kosh, whose real name is Darryl Ian Koshy, admitted to texting a 15-year-old boy with what he described as a "questionable tone", and apologised "to all the people who have suffered from this".

This came after several police reports were made against him by alleged male victims who were 15 to 17 years old at the time of the offence. Police investigations are ongoing.

Xiaxue's multiple scandals

Local influencer Xiaxue, whose real name is Wendy Cheng, faced backlash in February this year for fat-shaming after she spoke out against glamourising 'morbidly obese' people. Things got heated up when local actress Oon Shu An presented a different opinion. 

Then during the general elections in July, the 36-year-old came under fire for accusing female Singaporean politician Raeesah Khan of stirring up racist sentiments.

Many called for her boycott, and the campaign was run by Elouise Quek in an attempt to "demonetise" Xiaxue. Many showed support for Quek, including Charles Yeo, the 30-year-old chairman of the Reform Party. However, it ended up in a court fight, in which Quek retracted her statements.

Her video on cancel culture also did not strike the right chord with some viewers, one of them Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa'at.

"It's kinda gross when bullies cry victim," he wrote on his social media accounts.

qistina@asiaone.com.