In 2018, Taiwanese artist Aaron Yan (炎亞綸) got into hot water when he was accused of dating three men simultaneously. Although he managed to silence the issue with an apology, it seems the looming storm from 2018 has returned to wreck his life once again.
Just recently, internet celebrity Raku (邱耀乐, Qiu Yaole) dropped a bombshell on the online community. He not only claimed to have been dating Aaron Yan when he was 16, but he also alleged that Aaron had recorded them having sex without his permission. Despite Aaron dispensing another apology, Yaole is determined to get his story out.
The TikToker shared that he had met Aaron when Yaole sent him a friend request online. To his surprise, Aaron not only accepted his request, he soon started chatting with Yaole and invited Yaole to hang out with him at his house. Yaole added that he was only 16 at the time, and was studying alone in Taipei. He had then given his first time to Aaron at 16 with only one rule; no filming during sex. Aaron had agreed.
Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but Yaole added he had been too inexperienced then to know any better. He let many things slide, including Aaron taking advantage of him while he was asleep and phone calls from someone claiming to be Aaron’s boyfriend. The artist had convinced him then that it was a lie and Yaole was too in love to think otherwise. But six months later, everything came crashing down.
“On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2018, I was working in Beijing when I received a private message. My sex film with you had gone viral,” he said. “I was very angry and very helpless at that moment.” Aaron had apparently filmed him without his knowledge and the videos had gotten leaked. The artist later promised him he would take care of the issue, even shelling out ten of thousands of yen to cover the legal fees and living expenses.
Things got worse when others came forward, claiming Aaron had cheated on them by dating each of them simultaneously. Yaole had stuck up for Aaron then, but it turned out to be for naught. The public figure later threatened Yaole with violence if he ever spoke up about the issue. However, after five years of dealing with the issue, he felt it was time for Aaron to face the music.
Aaron Yan penned a response yesterday (20th June) apologising to Yaole for everything. The artist claimed he had been immature when dating Yaole and had always regretted his actions from that time. However, he maintained that he had not been the one to leak the images. “From my investigation, (the leak) was most likely from when I got my phone fixed,” he said. Aaron added he had also gotten a lawyer to help remove the video.
“This was the result of my own personal feelings not being handled well, sorry again. (I) set the worst example,” he stated. Aaron added that he had since been attending counseling and classes. “If you want, I am willing to apologize to you face to face again, and I am willing to accompany you through all the pain and follow up (with you) to make up for everything,” he promised before signing off with his real name.
However, earlier this morning (21st June), Yaole announced that he would be holding a press conference to address the issue. Netizens suspect Yaole will be bringing records of dialogue he had with Aaron and evidence to back up his claims. Many have also declared their support of Yaole’s actions and are praising his courage.
Aaron Yan is not the first one to have been held accountable by the rampant #metoo movement in Taiwan. Artists such as Chris Wang (宥胜), Kevin Hsu (徐乃麟), and Mickey Huang (黃子佼) have also had their image and reputations affected. We’re not sure how things will end for Aaron, but we sincerely hope it will be resolved well.
