Sunny Chan Gets Heated While Discussing Parenting
Former TVB actor Sunny Chan Kam-hung (陳錦鴻), 59, has long been regarded as one of Hong Kong entertainment’s most devoted fathers, having once stepped away from his acting career to care for his son, who is on the autism spectrum. Recently, while appearing on interview program Ngan’s Lifestyle, Chan unexpectedly lost his temper over a question about his son, his fiercely protective reaction quickly turning what had been a warm conversation into a heated exchange.
Angered by Hypothetical Question
The discussion was originally about how Sunny is preparing for his son to become more independent as he grows older. When the host Ngan Luen-mo (顏聯武) asked whether he had ever considered allowing his son to live more independently, Chan replied matter-of-factly, “Of course.”
However, Ngan then offered a hypothetical comparison involving an elderly mother travelling alone, which appeared to touch a nerve. Sunny became visibly upset and shot back, “I’m worried — so what?” As Ngan attempted to explain his point, Sunny raised his voice and repeatedly challenged him: “So what?” and “I’m not going to be able to stay by his side forever!”
Sunny stressed that “letting go” and “worrying” are two entirely different matters. For him, the key question is whether his son, Chan Ka-wah (陳駕樺), has the ability to live independently — not whether he, as a father, is willing to let go.
Netizens Divided Over the Exchange
After the heated conversation surfaced online, it quickly sparked debate among netizens. Many came to Sunny’s defense, pointing out that raising a child with autism is no easy task. They criticized the host for being insufficiently sensitive and overly persistent, arguing that hypothetical questions of this nature were unnecessary.
Others, however, felt that there was nothing inherently wrong with the host’s line of questioning. They believed Sunny was simply particularly sensitive and anxious whenever the subject of his son came up, and suggested that he could perhaps learn to approach the topic with a little more ease.
Son Enrols in University Music Program
Ka-wah, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of three and a half. At the height of his acting career, Sunny made the decisive choice to stop working altogether so that he could devote himself full-time to accompanying his son through his learning and development. The former actor’s efforts have since borne fruit. Gifted in music, Ka-wah has not only successfully held his own piano recital, but has also enrolled this year in a music diploma program at Saint Francis University, formerly Caritas Institute of Higher Education.
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They’re exaggerating his response. He was not worked up at all. He just spoke a little louder. In any case, I didn’t find the interviewer rude or unreasonable in his line of questioning. And they actually seem to know each other well.
For example, they were discussing children’s independence. And the interviewer asked Sunny how he feels about leaving his son at home or him asking for independence. He made a comparison like if his elderly parent wanted to go travel alone, would Sunny stop his parent out of worrying for their safety, similar to what he might do for his son. And Sunny basically said if his son insists and thinks he’s ready for that, then he won’t stop him and neither would he stop his parent. Of course he would be worried, but he wouldn’t stop it from happening, because it’s not his life. It wasn’t meant to be an offensive approach, more like, trying to understand Sunny’s parental mentality.
Like my SiL is somewhat controlling and will stop her parents from traveling if she thinks it’s dangerous or it might be too much for them to handle. During certain situations, I would do the same, e.g. my sister telling me she’s visiting japan when they just had a level 5 earthquake or something. But outside of those glaring safety issues, I won’t stop my family members either. My SiL might, though. She would stop them if she thinks Covid is coming again or she’s not sure about x or y or z issue.