Former ‘Produce X 101’ Tony Contestant Drops Out of Chinese Survival Show Following Backlash
Following rumors of his parents running an illegal business, as well as speculations concerning his speculations, former "Produce X 101" contestant Tony (Yu Jingtian) drops out of the Chinese survival show "Youth With You 3." Keep on reading to learn more.
Tony Official Drops Out of "Youth With You 3"
On Wednesday, May 5, Astro Entertainment confirmed that Tony would be pulling out of iQIYI's Chinese survival program "Youth With You 3," just three days before the show's finale. The company released a statement stating that Tony would be dropping out of the show due to both personal and health reasons. Astro Entertainment also apologizes on behalf of Tony for occupying public resources.
Prior to the male's withdrawal from the show, fans noted that his votes were still high and still ranked first. Throughout the show, Tony has maintained the first place rank. Many had believed that Tony would be making his debut with the group formed by "Youth With You 3" and that he would most liekly take on the center role.
Tony Receives Backlash as People Question His Nationality
On May 2, Chinese netizens resurfaced an old clip of Tony during his time as a contestant on Mnet's "Produce X 101." During his introduction clip, he states that he is Canadian, but his parents are from China. When he appeared on "Youth With You 3," however, Tony states that he was proud to represent Chinese people and China in a foreign show. People criticized the male for saying two different things.
ALSO READ: Former ‘Produce X 101’ Contestant Tony Under Fire in China as People Question His Nationality
Soon, people started speculating on whether or not the male idol holds citizenship in both Canada and China. China does not recognize dual citizenship, meaning if he were to have both Canadian and Chinese citizenship, he would be breaking the latter's citizenship laws. The claims of him having dual citizenship have not been proven.
Tony's Parents Accused of Running an Illegal Karaoke Business
Prior to speculations concerning Tony's nationality, rumors started surfacing that the male's parents operate a karaoke business that offered sexual services and sold drugs. Tony's mother has since released a statement on the matter, explaining the situation to fans. The business, named Jingli KTV, was operated by Tony's mother and father and a third party. However, when Tony's family decided to move to Canada in 2008, they sold all their shares to the third party and have not been involved in the business since.
Tony's mother reveals that though they gave their shares to the third party, they did not process Jingli KTV's industrial and commercial changes in time and were only able to do so in 2019 when they returned to China. Tony's mother announced that they would be working with legal partners against rumors that they sold sexual services and drugs, stating that these are all false.
Astro Entertainment has also released a statement, saying Tony did not participate in any of the rumors and has not done anything that could negatively impact society.
Tony as a "Produce X 101" Contestant
In 2019, Tony, alongside Wei Zi Yue, represented Hongyi Entertainment and competed in Mnet's "Produce X 101." At the time, Tony had only been a trainee for eight months. During his initial evaluation, he was put in Class A, making him the only foreigner to do so. He was demoted to Class F during the re-evaluations.
He made it to the finale, finishing at rank 20 and garnering 1,141,121 votes.
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Written by Alexa Lewis
