Since the outbreak of corruption allegations against TVB General Manager, Stephen Chan Chi Wan, many artists, such as Steven Ma Chun Wai and Patrick Tang who were once favored by Mr. Chan have distanced themselves to avoid legal entanglement and TVB’s spite.

Allegedly due to his ties to Mr. Chan, Steven Ma filmed three TVB series in 2009 and even took on a hosting role. Recent tabloids claimed that Steven was involved in a homosexual love triangle with Mr. Chan. To dispel tabloid rumors, Steven publicly introduced his girlfriend to reporters and said that his relationship was “very strong.” In essence, Steven was attempting to remove his name from Mr. Chan’s scandal. Allegedly, Wong Hei regards Steven poorly and criticized his behavior.

In reaction to the media’s negative assessment of his recent behavior, Steven posted a swift commentary in his blog, “I am not a person who is afraid [to stand up]. I will not sit back quietly due to fear of losing fame or fortune.” Steven explained that he was not feeling well earlier, thus his girlfriend made the public appearance with him. He expressed his sadness over the public’s perception and urged people not to misinterpret his actions.

Patrick Tang, who once referred to Mr. Chan as his “Honey” due to their close friendship, has only sent SMS text messages to his former benefactor. In his personal blog, Patrick did not mention a word about Mr. Chan’s scandal. Patrick posted a close-up photo of his tears to convey his “saddened state” over the situation. He urged his fans to not forget about his past hard work, thus drawing a clear line between himself and Mr. Chan.

The Origins of Wong Hei and Mr. Chan’s Friendship

Since the ICAC detained Mr. Chan on March 12^th, Wong Hei has stood by Mr. Chan to show his support.  Wong Hei noted that he can not abandon Mr. Chan, who has helped him in the past. When Wong Hei joined Commercial Radio Broadcasting in 1992, he became friendly with Mr. Chan, who was also a fellow Buddhist at the time. Although Mr. Chan converted to Catholicism in later years, the pair remained good friends and continued to meet once per week.

Wong Hei followed Mr. Chan’s footsteps and joined TVB in the early 1990s. Mr. Chan backed up Wong Hei in his early TVB career. In 2006, Wong Hei climbed Mount Everest and Mr. Chan was present at the press conference to show his support. In 2008, allegedly Wong Hei and Kevin Cheng Ka Wing did not get along together on the set of “Burning Flame 3” (烈火雄心3). Since Kevin was heavily favored by TVB executive, Virginia Lok Yi Ling, Wong Hei got into conflict with Ms. Lok as well. Wong Hei announced his departure from TVB, but Mr. Chan invited him to come back. Due to their past camaraderie, Wong Hei has continued to show support for Mr. Chan amidst the corruption scandal.

Wong Hei Criticizes TVB’s Mona Fong

In Wong Hei’s personal blog, he wrote a recent entry about TVB’s “bad feng shui.” Hidden behind obscure feng shui verbose, the paparazzi believed Wong Hei was attacking TVB in an indirect way. Allegedly, Wong Hei implied that since TVB was led by a woman (Sir Run Run Shaw’s wife, Mona Fong) , the company made poor decisions, entangled itself in the corruption, and will be headed towards its demise. [Wong Hei alluded that Ms. Fong made emotional and judgmental decisions in Mr. Chan’s case.]  Boldly, he implied that if TVB were run by a man, this would not have occurred.

Good Friends Stand By Each Other

After Mr. Chan held a press conference on March 18^th, Wong Hei brought a Public Relations executive and Metro Radio executive to Mr. Chan’s house to show their support. That night, Wong Hei wore a T-shirt with the slogan, “More Respect, Less Attack.”

Wong Hei has taken on the role of Mr. Chan’s  “spokesperson” in dealing with the paparazzi. At a Hong Kong University event on March 19th, Mr. Chan was a featured speaker. Wong Hei arrived early on site to make all the preparations and did not leave with Mr. Chan until 5 PM.  When departing, Wong Hei walked in front of Mr. Chan to fend off the crowds.

Even Mr. Chan’s rumored boyfriend, Ed Cong, went into hiding for nine days since the corruption investigation started. Ed only responded to text messages from several reporter acquaintances. On March 21^st, Ed finally emerged from the site of one of his public relations firms. When Ed realized he was followed by reporters, he ran several traffic lights before returning to his apartment in Stanley. Ed’s apartment was rumored to be a gift purchased by Mr. Chan.

Amigo Chui, who is one of Mr. Chan’s favorite TVB artists, visited Mr. Chan on March 16^th. Amigo went to Mr. Chan’s apartment at 9 PM and stayed until midnight. Since the scandal broke, Leo Ku Gui Kei has also met with Mr. Chan on two occasions.

Source: Tom.com, 3 Weekly Magazine

Jayne: Kudos to Wong Hei, whom I had always admired for his integrity and out-spoken ways. He is an artist who is unafraid to play the “wrong politics” and stand by his friends. If Mr. Chan ever makes a come-back (ATV, wake-up here’s your chance to snag a talented manager!), he’ll know who was there during the tough times.

Despite his talent, Wong Hei’s outspoken ways has cost his career. With the departure of Mr. Chan, Wong Hei will likely leave TVB as well.

As for Steven Ma and Patrick Tang, perhaps they have been less vocal and reserved towards Mr. Chan’s scandal. Steven Ma may still have a career left at TVB, but Patrick Tang’s is likely over.

Tags: Amigo Chui, Leo Ku, Patrick Tang, Stephen Chan, Steven Ma Chun Wai, TVB corruption scandal, Wong He, Wong Hei