Mark Lee (right) and Taiwanese comedian Nono have been friends for years and have worked together on shows and movies. Photo: Mark Lee/Facebook
Singaporean actor-DJ Mark Lee has advised his good friend, Taiwanese comedian Nono, who is embroiled in a sexual assault scandal, to “handle this properly”.
Speaking on his morning radio show, The Breakfast Quartet On Love972 on June 22, Lee said: “If it’s not true, then let time speak (for itself). If it’s true, then he has to deal with it, as that is something that he should face up to.”
Lee, 54, and Nono, 52, have been friends for years and have worked together on shows and movies, including Jack Neo’s Being Human in 2010.
Lee contacted Nono after news broke on last week that Nono had allegedly sexually assaulted at least 20 women over the past decade.
Nono, whose real name is Chen Hsuan-yu, announced on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon that he will stop work immediately. He is among the group of male Taiwanese celebrities caught up in the current #MeToo scandal on the island.
His announcement came after Taiwanese influencer Anissa, who goes by the name Teacher Xiaohong, held a press conference on Wednesday morning.
Anissa, who claims to be one of his victims, revealed that she received messages from at least 20 women accusing Nono of sexually harassing them.
Two of the women claimed he sexually assaulted them in a public toilet and his car respectively. A third woman alleged he almost sexually assaulted her when she was around 15.
On Thursday afternoon, Anissa posted on Facebook to say another alleged victim reached out to her with screenshots to prove that Nono had flirted with her and attempted to ask her out on Nov 14, 2011.
This was not long after Nono had already proposed to his wife, singer Angel Chu, 37, on Nov 3, 2011. The couple have a nine-year-old daughter.
Lee also touched on their marriage on the radio show, saying: “I hope his wife can be his greatest source of strength.”
Meanwhile, outraged netizens bombarded Nono’s Instagram account, demanding he hold a press conference to apologise. On Thursday, he deleted his account.
Also affected by the #MeToo scandal is actress Summer Meng, 31, wife of Taiwanese host-comedian Mickey Huang, 51.
She has withdrawn from an upcoming movie, Save It, My Family Is Rich (working title), which was supposed to be her comeback project, as she had taken time off after giving birth to a daughter in May 2022.
Huang, who was accused of sexual harassment, issued an apology in three videos on his Facebook page on Monday.
He then deleted his Facebook and Instagram accounts, and attempted to self-harm. He is reportedly in stable condition. Meng has requested time and space for them to face his past mistakes as a family. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
