Singapore — Taiwanese actor Mike He is another example of how careful we need to be with what we say publicly, even if the remarks were made a while back.
After saying he wants to have a son if and when his wife gets pregnant again, and even hinting at an abortion if the baby is a girl, to say that commenters from China were not pleased is to put it mildly.
On Sunday (Sept 26), the actor issued a public apology on Weibo.
“I’m grateful to my wife for giving birth to two daughters… my wife and I really hope to have both sons and daughters, with the two girls also hoping to have a younger brother. It will be good if it is a boy, but boys and girls are definitely equal.
I love my family and my two daughters, and am spending most of my time now accompanying them in their growing-up years. I apologise again for my inappropriate comments,” he wrote.
The actor and his wife, Chen Yiwen, who is not in the entertainment business, already have two daughters, ages four and one.
In November of last year, a few months after his second baby girl was born, he was interviewed on Taiwan’s NowNews channel.
And while the interview was ten months ago, it unexpectedly and inexplicably trended in China lately, with netizens angrily questioning Mr He’s remarks.
The actor had told the interviewer that if he and his wife, who are both 37, decide to have another child, they will do so within a year or two so that the age gap between his kids will be quite small.
Mr He was very vocal about wanting to have a son and said he would confirm the baby’s gender before his wife gives birth as this could be done when the fetus is around seven or eight weeks old.
However, according to AsiaOne, he added, “If the test reveals it’s a girl, I may not want the birth.”
Netizens in China, who understood this remark to mean that he would want the fetus aborted, expressed indignation.
They took exception that the actor implied that having a baby boy is preferable to having another girl, among other things.
Some asked Mr He if he is a king who needs a son to pass his throne to.
Others said he was inconsiderate of his wife and her body. /TISG
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