Although idol life can be a dream come true, fame and fortune often come at the expense of having a private personal life.
Xie Leilei, a member of the Chinese girl group GNZ48, weathered intense backlash from fans for posting a photo that accidentally revealed her alleged boyfriend.
According to media reports, netizens spotted Leilei’s alleged boyfriend in the reflection of Leilei’s Christmas tree ornaments. The idol posted her now deleted photo during the 2021 Christmas season.
Two months later, on February 6, 2022, Leilei appeared before a crowd of journalists and fans to tearfully apologize and beg their forgiveness.
Though she did not directly address the scandal, Leilei apologized for “doing something that fails to meet the requirements of an idol.”
I have also brought harm to the company, and I am willing to bear any punishment that comes from this. I hope I will get a chance to start over again. I did not do my job well and disappointed everyone while negatively impacting my company. I apologize to everyone once again.
— Leilei
In addition to apologizing, Leilei bowed for a full minute to demonstrate her contrition.
The scandal resulted in Leilei being demoted to “trainee” status within her group’s ranking system, which also includes promotions and graduations.
