8 Facts About The Hong Hui Fang & Pan Ling Ling Saga So Far

Last Updated on 2020-02-20 , 9:37 am

Reader: I’m pretty sure this will involve Calvert Tay.

Well, you’re not wrong.

Within the hallowed halls of Mediacorp, a drama the likes of which you’ve never seen before is brewing.

And the main characters in this show are none other than these two veteran actresses we’ve seen again and again on TV shows.

The title of the show? I don’t friend you liao.

Yes, these two actresses are ending their friendship in the most epic way possible, by airing everything out in public.

Here’s what has been happening so far in the Pan Ling Ling-Hong Hui Fang Saga that’s juicier than a Channel 8’s 9 o’clock drama.

1. How it all started

On 22 July, the Shin Min Daily News knew they were on to something when they received a text from an anonymous source.

It was a 1,100 characters Whatsapp message originally sent out by Hong Hui Fang which announced the end of the 20-year friendship both veteran actresses has enjoyed.

Mutual friends like Vivian Lai, Chen Hanwei and Chen Xiuhuan reportedly received the message as well.

Other than announcing the end of the friendship, the message filled with some serious allegations too.

2. Pan Ling Ling allegedly said derogatory comments about Hong Hui Fang’s son, Calvert Tay.

The thing that allegedly made the Hong finally lashed out was due to the things Pan said at a gathering about one month ago.

Pan allegedly started talking about Calvert Tay’s private love life and even said that he should get a Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STD) inoculation jab.

Calvert Tay is rumoured to be dating Julie Tan.

Hong snapped and asked Pan to stop talking about it. It was also alleged that she sent a “warning” to the group after the dinner, telling Pan not to “blab about her son, Calvert”.

However, she heard rumours about them after that incident and decided to send out the epic message to over 50 people in the industry.

Yup you were right, dear reader. It did involve Calvert Tay.

3. Julie Tan hits back, her mother threatens to sue Pan Ling Ling

With all that’s going on, a supporting character was suddenly dragged into the show.

Julie Tan, the rumoured Juliet to Calvert Tay’s love life. 

I mean, when your rumoured boyfriend is asked to get a jab just in case, that says something about you, right?

Which was what prompted this outburst on her Instagram story.

Her mother, Doris Khaw, was also furious, seeing how her own daughter was painted in such a light.

She threatened to take legal action against Pan should she not give a public apology.

Pan apologised for her comments and said she never wished to “harm any person or family, including Julie’s parents”.

Tan clarified that while she is friends with Calvert Tay, they’re not dating.

4. A lawyer said that Pan isn’t at fault, though

No, no, he’s not some hardcore supporter of hers. He’s talking from a legal viewpoint.

Well-known media lawyer Chung Ting Fai said that Pan Ling Ling has said these words in a private setting, which means what she said cannot be taken as defamation, but a fair comment instead.

Unless Pan has shared her sentiments with people unrelated to Hong and her son, she’s not liable for defamation.

Hong Hui Fang, on the other hand, might be in trouble because it was her message that threw the entire thing into the public domain.

5. Pan Ling Ling had hurt Hong’s Daughter In The Past

According to the 1,100 character leaked message, this wasn’t the first time Pan had hurt her children.

Hong alleged that Pan had, in the past, made nasty comments about Tay Ying’s past relationship which had hurt her.

So much so that she still carries the pain up to today and caused her father, Zheng Geping, grief.

Read Also: 5 Officers Charged For SCDF NSF’s Death & 8 Other Officers Referred to SCDF

6. Pan dragged Hong Hui Fang & Zheng Geping Into Her Relationship Problems Before

Another allegation was that Pan Ling Ling had once dragged Hong and her husband into her relationship troubles before.

Hong alleged that more than 10 years ago, Pan had some problems in her relationship with Huang Shinan and somehow dragged Zheng Geping into it.

At the end of the day, after the problem was resolved, Pan escaped the entire situation unscathed and didn’t even apologised for the trouble caused.

7. “Let Time Heal Everything”

Pan Ling Ling had initially rejected all interviews and refused to answer questions pertaining to the saga.

However, she apologised in an interview with Toggle after Julie Tan’s mother threatened to take legal action against her.

When Shinmin Daily News contacted her for comments about the saga, she only said, “Let everything be washed away with time.”

Hong Hui Fang said that this “isn’t a war, so there isn’t a winner or a loser”.

Pan’s husband, Huang Shinan, is worried about Pan’s health. She is sick and currently on medication.

He also defended her, saying that she’s not the kind of person to spread such rumours around.

8. Both actresses behaved professionally at work

If there’s one thing good to have come out of the incident, it’s probably the fact that both veteran actresses are good at their jobs.

Both actresses are now working in the same production, Reach For The Skies.

When a reporter from Shin Min News Daily asked the executive producer if the two actresses had trouble working together, she said there wasn’t any.

The two actresses behaved professionally during the shoot.