Why Jackie Chan Hasn't Spoken To His Daughter In Years And Refuses To Support Her Financially
Jackie Chan hasn't spoken to his daughter in years as she struggles financially with her wife.
Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock A viral film scene from the Chinese action drama “Ride On” starring Jackie Chan and his on-screen daughter, Liu Haocun, has made its way on popular social media sites like Twitter, where fans have called the moment between the two actors “wholesome,” but have confused the clip with real life.
Jackie Chan’s real daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, also known as Xiao Long Nu, is not the woman featured in this film and has had a non-existent relationship with her biological father.
Who is Jackie Chan’s daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam?
Etta Ng Chok Lam is Chan’s 23-year-old daughter whom he had with Hong Kong former beauty queen Elaine Ng Yi-lei, sometimes known as Elaine Wu.
Despite marrying his Taiwanese wife Joan Lin in 1982, Chan participated in a scandalous affair with Elaine in 1999 that resulted in his press conference apology, where he claimed he would take responsibility for their child if he ended up being the father.
Etta has said that she and her wife are homeless because of their 'homophobic parents.'
The 69-year-old actor, who is worth around $400 million today, has not been in contact with his daughter for decades now and has left her to struggle financially.
Etta and her girlfriend Andi Autumn, a Canadian social media influencer 12 years her senior, have reportedly been homeless since 2018 after the pair posted a video on YouTube revealing their financial struggle.
“We’ve been homeless for a month due to homophobic parents,” Etta said in the video. She claims that the two have slept under a bridge, spent time in shelters, and sought help all to no avail.
“I don’t even understand what is going on because we’ve gone to the police, we’ve gone to the hospital, the food banks, LGBTQ+ community shelters, and all of them just don’t give a s--t,” she said.
But Etta also claims Chan disowned her before she was even born.
Despite "promises" to take responsibility for the child he had with Elaine, Etta claims that Chan has never been there for her.
“He is my biological father but he is not in my life. He never existed in my life. I will never regard him as a father. As long as I have my mother with me, I don’t need my father,” she revealed in 2015.
Etta Ng’s relationship with her mother has been rocky as well.
After Chan cut contact with the Ngs, Elaine was left alone to raise Etta, but the two have had a tumultuous relationship ever since Etta became a teenager.
A 15-year-old Etta allegedly called the police on her mother in 2015, accusing her mother of abuse and an alcohol problem. This was the start of their rapidly souring relationship.
After revealing that she was gay and married to Autumn in 2018, Etta and her wife moved back to Hong Kong to try and live with the support of Etta’s mom. However, after she had to bail the pair out of jail for defaulting on rent, the family got into a big fight when Autumn allegedly refused to get a job.
Elaine, who was housing the young couple, kicked the two of them out, leaving the media with only this to say about the incident: “Other than my cats and my daughter, the affairs of other people don’t concern me. Even if you say I’m selfish, it doesn’t matter [to me].”
Etta and Autumn have since moved back to Canada and continue to struggle financially as Etta was spotted in Toronto, Canada on October 9, 2022, queuing for free food wearing baggy, oversized clothes, per Malay Mail, via South China Morning Post.
Jackie Chan doesn’t support his son, Jaycee Chan, financially either.
In 2011, Channel NewsAsia quoted Chan talking about whether or not he would be passing down his fortune to his 40-year-old son, Jaycee Chan. “If he is capable, he can make his own money. If he is not, then he will just be wasting my money,” he said, via Hindustan Times.
According to South China Morning Post, it was reported in 2015 that Chan had also spoken about whether or not he would support Etta. “I believe she does not need my inheritance!” he said.
“Sometimes, I prefer not to talk about some stuff. I’ll let nature take its course,” he continued. “If I see her, I’ll see her. I’m very easy-going.”
It seems like neither of his kids will be receiving any financial help from their father. Instead, he has committed to donating his riches to charity.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor for YourTango who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.