Happy Camp Host Li Weijia Fights Back Against Accusations That He Knew A Brand He Endorsed Was Defrauding Its Franchisees
Victims of the scam had taken to protesting outside the Hunan TV building to demand that the broadcaster take action against Weijia.
Chinese broadcaster Hunan TV has been mired in scandal lately. Last month, Day Day Up host Qian Feng was accused of rape and now, Happy Camp host Li Weijia has been dragged into a scam involving millions of dollars.
The 44-year-old star is the face of tea brand Happy Formula, which was recently accused of defrauding its franchisees. The boss of the brand was said to have received deposits from dozens of franchisees but instead of upholding his end of the contract, ran away with the money.
The victims of the scam claim that Weijia was fully aware that the boss was up to no good, yet he still endorsed the company because of the fat pay check. And they have taken to protesting outside Hunan TV’s building to demand that the station take action against Weijia.
Netizens have slammed Weijia for being a “dishonourable artiste” with “no conscience”. They have also demanded that Hunan TV remove him from Happy Camp as they “don't want to see the accomplice of a scammer on TV”.
Weijia has since explained himself on Weibo with this statement: “On July 25, 2020, I signed an endorsement contract with Guangzhou Hechunghui Information Technology to serve as the ambassador of Happy Formula milk tea products from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021. This May, I found out that Happy Formula is a product of the Guangzhou Xinrui Catering Management, and on June 1, I contacted Hechunghui. We cancelled our contract [as the] conditions had changed, and they agreed to have my photos removed from the brand.”
He continued, “Since May, I have been actively handling this matter (…) and I call on all franchisees to express their demands through legal channels and means. I also reserve the right to take legal action against false statements and slander directed at me.”
Photos: PBE Media
