Best Actor Louis Koo (Koo Jai) recently surprised fans by announcing a duet with Jessica Hsuan, which immediately stirred heated discussion. Many ‘Koo-Hsuan CP fans’ were delighted, but it also triggered anger among some of Louis Koo's own fans—some even vented their complaints at their idol, accusing him of overusing the CP image to ‘cash in’, and threatened to quit the fandom!
After previous surprises like a new rendition of the classic song ‘Heaven’s Mandate Is Supreme’ and this year’s April Fool’s Day release of ‘The Greatest Scam of the Century’, Koo Jai dropped another bombshell on the 24th, announcing his first-ever duet with Jessica Hsuan. Social media was instantly ‘flooded’, sparking a frenzy of fan discussion!
On social media, Koo Jai posted under the title ‘A Surprise Sudden Appearance’, saying: ‘Jessica Hsuan and I are releasing our first duet, “Timeless Love”, officially out now.’ He also teased that the MV would premiere simultaneously at 9:30pm on the 26th, after which the duo would go live to chat with netizens.
Many ‘CP fans’ analyzed the song name, wondering if the MV would echo the fate-bound relationship of their ‘A Step Into the Past’ characters “Xiang Shaolong” and “Wu Tingfang,” but this ‘sweet surprise’ wasn’t welcomed by everyone!
The reason is that, earlier at the Hong Kong Film Awards, Koo Jai courteously assisted Bernice Liu downstairs, which unexpectedly set off the nerves of ‘Koo-Hsuan CP fans’ and led to an online attack against Bernice. Back then, a large number of Koo Jai’s fans criticized CP fans for being too sensitive and for unjustly targeting other actresses.
Yet this incident was still fresh in memory when, on the night of the 24th, Koo Jai’s high-profile announcement of the duet with Jessica Hsuan upset many of his other fans who had argued with CP fans on his behalf. Some directed their dissatisfaction toward Koo Jai himself, complaining that he was making the ‘Koo-Hsuan CP’ too commercial and overhyped, accusing him of excessive money-making, with some radical fans saying: “It makes me feel like a clown for defending Bernice Liu the other day!” A few even threatened to quit the fandom.
Though some fans are displeased, others left comments saying Koo Jai is ‘getting caught in the crossfire’ and is quite innocent. Jessica Hsuan’s fans also voiced support for Koo Jai, saying some of his fans were overreacting; even Koo Jai’s manager’s social media saw an influx of dissatisfied comments. The issue continues to ferment online, with some netizens claiming Koo Jai has a girlfriend of over ten years, while others said the supposed girlfriend was married and dismissed the rumors.
Caught in the controversy, Koo Jai still showed up at an event on the evening of the 24th in a suit, and posted dashing event photos at noon on the 25th, but he has yet to respond publicly to the incident. Jessica Hsuan, for her part, shared a photo of herself eating ice cream on social media, seemingly unfazed by the whole affair.