AsianFin -- Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, announced on Saturday that it has imposed an indefinite ban on the accounts of Zhang Lan and Wang Xiaofei, the ex-mother-in-law and ex-husband of late Barbie Hsu (Big S), for violating platform policies.
The announcement comes after the recent passing of Hsu, which sparked widespread public mourning and tributes. However, some accounts were found to be exploiting the situation, spreading rumors, and engaging in behaviors that violated public morals and the dignity of the deceased and their family.
After Hsu's family confirmed her death at the age of 49 on Monday, Wang publicly mourned. He cut short his vacation in Thailand with his wife, Mandy Ma, and hurried back to Taiwan. Upon arriving at the airport, he appeared visibly distressed, bowing deeply and urging the media to "speak kindly of her," emphasizing that "Barbie Hsu will always be family."
The 44-year-old Wang also changed his Douyin profile picture to a black image, a traditional mourning gesture. However, he later replaced it with a photo of himself and his daughter, which raised doubts about the authenticity of his grief.
Public backlash grew when Wang left a comment on a video from a past television appearance with Hsu, writing, "Wife, I miss you so much." He later modified the comment to simply "I miss you so much" before deleting it entirely and replacing it with another comment that read, "It should have been me who died."
Hsu and Wang became engaged in 2010, just 49 days after their first meeting, and married in 2011. Although Hsu often spoke fondly of Wang, the couple announced their separation in 2021, citing irreconcilable differences.
After the divorce, Hsu married South Korean musician DJ Koo in February 2022, while Wang remarried Mandy, a 26-year-old businesswoman, in 2024. Despite their new relationships, Hsu and Wang remained caught in public disputes.
In November 2022, a year after their divorce, Hsu accused Wang of violating their divorce settlement by failing to pay spousal support since March. She claimed the outstanding amount exceeded NT$5 million (US$152,288) and sought enforcement through the Taipei District Court. The court ruled that part of Wang’s assets in Taiwan could be seized based on substantial evidence.
Wang responded through his lawyer, stating that he had continued paying child support and maintenance but disputed covering additional family expenses, including utility bills for the luxury home in Taipei where Hsu lived with DJ Koo and her two children from her marriage to Wang. To support his claims, he posted on Weibo a breakdown of the "expenses" he had covered "for the children and this home" over the past year.
Up until December 2022, Wang posted—then deleted—several social media updates criticizing Hsu, DJ Koo, and her sister Dee Hsu. He accused them of infidelity, drug use, and claimed he was still burdened with hefty utility bills for Hsu and DJ Koo’s residence.
In retaliation, Hsu issued legal statements and shared two documents on Instagram to counter Wang’s allegations. One was a financial statement, which she claimed proved she independently financed her properties. The other was a handwritten note, allegedly from Wang, acknowledging a loan of NT$26 million from Hsu—NT$20 million for his hotel business and the remainder for legal fees—which he claimed was repaid by the end of 2018.
