Eleanor Lee's ex-assistant admits faking audio recordings that insulted Chinese people, apologises

A former assistant of Singaporean actress Eleanor Lee has issued a public apology for "maliciously editing, synthesising and fabricating" recordings of Lee, in a bid to claim compensation from her former company.

This new development emerged after Lee, daughter of Mediacorp host Quan Yifeng, was embroiled in an audio recording scandal where she was heard allegedly calling Chinese nationals "idiots".

Lee's agency, China Artiste Management, said in a Weibo post on May 21 that police investigations confirmed that the audio recordings were a malicious rumour spread by a former assistant due to a personal dispute.

It also condemned such behaviour, saying this has seriously infringed Lee's legal rights and interests.

The apology

A Weibo user identifying herself as Lee's former assistant, "Xiaopang", posted a clarification statement the same day, which was reshared to the Weibo page of Lee's agency.

"After being educated and corrected by the police, I realised that the act of maliciously editing, synthesising, and fabricating recordings of Ms. Li Kaixin "insulting the Chinese people" and other acts of spreading false information are against the law, and have caused serious reputational damage to Ms. Li Kaixin," the user wrote in the post.

Li Kaixin is Eleanor Lee's Chinese name.

The user also said she had recognised her mistake and apologised to Lee.

In the statement, the user explained that she was employed at a media company in Beijing from 2017 to 2019 and was Lee's personal assistant.

However, when her employment was terminated in 2019, she had various disputes with the company and felt she was treated "unfairly".

The user confessed to having secretly made recordings of Lee before leaving, which she also edited and synthesised, so as to use them in her negotiations with the company.

From 2019 to 2024, she continued to make claims for compensation to the company.

However, both parties were unable to reach an agreement, and she was blocked by the contact person.

In 2024, the user said she "lost control of her emotions" when she saw news online about an artiste from the company, feeling her demands "had not been respected" and she was "blamed in conversations with fans".

So, in July 2024, she circulated the edited and synthesised clips of Lee "to vent her anger", and also fabricated other content "on impulse".

The user added that at the time, she hoped to reinitiate contact with her former company.

She asked for Lee's forgiveness as she had not expected her behaviour to adversely affect Lee to such a degree.

"In the three years I worked at the company, I saw Li Kaixin's growth, and witnessed her efforts she has put in. During the time we worked together, she was a positive, hardworking and talented woman.

She never expressed disapproval towards China or the Chinese people, and did not, nor could have said the insulting words towards Chinese people that appeared in the edited and synthesised recordings I made of her".

Timeline of events

In a follow-up Weibo post, Lee's agency provided more details about the timeline of investigations.

The fake audio clip of Lee had begun circulating on Weibo in early May.

On May 10, Lee published a statement to her Instagram page denying that the woman in the audio clip was her and that she did not make the insulting remarks towards Chinese nationals.

According to the agency, they lodged a police report about the fake audio recordings on the night of May 12.

From May 12 to May 13, Lee and other persons involved in the case were called in to assist with police investigations.

During the course of said investigations, a confession was made that the audio recordings had been edited and synthesised.

On May 13, Lee's agency was notified by police about the investigation findings.

On May 15, Lee's agency also met with staff at the Singapore Embassy in China to discuss matters related to the case.

Lee's agency urged the public not to believe in or spread rumours and false information.

"The internet is not a place outside the law," it added.

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Top image from Eleanor Lee's Weibo & 鱼了个鲸_/Weibo