Singaporean actress Eleanor Lee, who has been developing her career in China, recently found herself caught in a controversy over an audio recording that allegedly disparaged Chinese people.
Former celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee announced on Facebook on Monday (12 May) that he would start a livestream at 9 PM on 13 May to reveal the “true stories” about Mediacorp host Quan Yifeng and her daughter Eleanor Lee.
Addy, currently in Bangkok, Thailand, posted three times on Facebook before his livestream.
While not directly naming names, he clearly implied that “this mother and daughter duo” had received their “karma.” He also brought up the Apple brand advertisement deal that he helped Eleanor secure in the past, obviously directing his criticisms at Quan Yifeng and her daughter.
Addy went live on Facebook at 9 PM on 13 May and revealed he was taking medication for depression. He stated that he spoke up because he saw people online linking his photos with Quan and Eleanor, which made him “very angry.”
He said, “I won’t help her clarify anything. I don’t want any connection with them.”
He then accused Quan and Eleanor of being ungrateful and turning their backs on him. Addy claimed he helped raise Eleanor, helped with her international school fees, took her on trips to Europe, bought her luxury items, and used his connections and resources in China to pave her path to stardom.
However, after Eleanor debuted, Addy said she never gave him a single dime or even treated him to a meal.
When netizens asked if the circulating audio was Eleanor’s voice, he only replied: “I don’t want to comment.”
When netizens mentioned rumours about Eleanor bullying others at school, Lee said, “I haven’t heard about that.” He stated that he was strict with Eleanor in the past, often teaching her to be polite, and his friends all said, “This child is really well-behaved.”
The Relationship Background
During the livestream, Addy mentioned that Eleanor recognised him as her godfather and took his surname.
However, in a 2020 interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Quan Yifeng responded to this claim and the falling out with Addy.
Quan said in the interview that Eleanor knelt to thank Addy at her 14th birthday party organised by him, and called him “father.”
Quan revealed that she had taken her daughter to a fortune teller, who suggested giving her a surname that would help her “stand out” as a stage name.
“I originally wanted to give my daughter my surname, Quan, but the fortune teller said this character was too heavy for my daughter to bear, so the fortune teller chose ‘Lee’.
I was secretly happy because it happened to be Addy Lee’s surname, so why not?” She said her daughter recognised Lee as her godfather since birth, not just from her 14th birthday celebration.
Financial Entanglements and Fallout
Addy revealed that when he first came to Singapore from Malaysia, he had employment thanks to Quan’s strong recommendations.
Their relationship was like family, and he said, “Her temper is bad, but her heart isn’t that bad.” He claimed that after earning money, he bought her a Rolex watch.
“When she had no money after giving birth, she pawned the Rolex I bought her.” He stated that without Quan back then, he wouldn’t be where he is today, but then changed his tone, saying Quan both helped and hurt him, and he “deeply regrets” knowing the mother and daughter.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Addy pivoted to become an internet livestreamer. He said he invited Quan to join him in livestreaming, and they earned over $300,000 in just over a month of collaboration.
However, he claimed Quan later showed a bad attitude during livestreams and privately accused him of using her name to make money, which hurt him deeply. Addy believed that as a top TV host, Quan always found it difficult to lower herself to do livestreaming.
Addy said Quan and Eleanor, along with their “other halves,” lived at his home for a period. After the livestreaming disagreement, Quan moved out with her daughter.
About a week later, they patronised David Gan, who was Addy’s competitor and also a celebrity hairstylist.
Addy emotionally pointed out that Eleanor’s comment, “Thank you for saving my hair,” seemed to suggest that the director of his salon had “ruined” her hair.
He said: “It’s very sad. Why was I controlled by this mother and daughter?… They were ungrateful, just walked away, and haven’t called once in four years. Wouldn’t you feel heartbroken?”
Addy’s livestream on 13 May lasted over six hours. He repeated himself throughout, and the peak viewership reached 13,800.
Timeline of Addy Lee’s Accusations Against Quan Yifeng and Daughter
Monday (12 May):
- Addy posted on Facebook, claiming he had introduced Eleanor to the industry and helped her secure an advertisement deal for Apple. After falling out with Quan, the mother and daughter cut contact with him for four years. He felt the current public backlash was karma. He announced a livestream for 9 PM on 13 May to “tell everyone karma has arrived.”
- That night, Addy uploaded two screenshots of WeChat conversations with someone claiming to be an employee of Huanrui Century. The person claimed the audio recording that caused Eleanor’s controversy was edited by Eleanor’s former assistant. They hoped Addy wouldn’t “add fuel to the fire” and keep Eleanor in negative public opinion. Addy wrote on Facebook: “Is this a warning to me?”
Tuesday (13 May):
- Addy announced his livestream again in the morning. At 9 PM, he went online to livestream.
Wednesday (14 May):
- At noon, Addy announced another livestream for 8:30 PM, saying, “This is all about money, not recognising people without money?” and claimed “someone warned me.”
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