Pop megastar Kris Wu detained over rape allegation

News of Beijing police arresting Canadian-Chinese pop idol Kris Wu on suspicion of rape charges quickly went viral on China's internet, as the star's once-lauded career is now all but doomed.

Late last Saturday, police in Beijing's Chaoyang district announced that the 30-year-old Canadian singer was detained following investigations into an alleged rape and online reports that Wu repeatedly tricked young women into having sex.

Further investigations are underway, the statement added.

Despite the announcement's brevity, within one hour the news topped trending charts all across China, racking up more than 50 million views on relevant posts.

Wu's downfall began in June when, on social media and in interviews with Chinese media outlets, 18-year-old college student, Du Meizhu, publicly accused Wu of date raping her after getting her drunk at a party. Later, she learned that there were at least seven other victims with similar experiences, including some who were underage, demonstrating a pattern of predatory behavior. The women were often recruited by Wu's representatives through casting calls for his music videos, or selected from his fan groups, said Du.

According to Du, she was invited to Wu's house by his team, ostensibly to be cast in music videos. The allegation is corroborated by a police statement.

Wu addressed the controversy for the first time on his social media account on July 19, and denied the allegations.

To most observes, Wu's illustrious career is largely over. Aside from potential jail time, many of his brand partnerships have severed ties including Porsche, Louis Vuitton, Lancome, and Bulgari. Likewise, Tencent Video's upcoming costume drama series The Golden Hairpin will likely be impacted. As China tends to blacklist immoral entertainers, the company may be pressed to cut Wu's scenes, reshoot the series with another actor, or shelve the project altogether.

Meanwhile, Wu and his team's social media accounts — which boast tens of millions of followers — were suspended, while his music has been removed from streaming platforms such as NetEase Cloud Music and QQ music. Even several celebrities who supported Wu have been banned from Sina Weibo, China's microblogging site.

Wu got his start as a member of K-pop group EXO. He left EXO in 2014 to focus on a solo career in China.

Legal experts have told Chinese media that it's unlikely Wu's celebrity status or his foreign citizenship will help the case.