Jet Li opens up about divorce from ex-wife Wong Chau-yin, denies abandoning daughters

Kung fu star Jet Li has opened up about his divorce from ex-wife Wong Chau-yin, addressing years of criticism over allegations that he abandoned her and their two daughters after marrying actress Nina Li Chi.

The 63-year-old actor discussed his family life in a recent interview with mainland Chinese host Yang Lan on her program.

Li described his divorce from Wong as amicable, saying they communicated openly and mutually agreed to separate. He summed up their relationship at the time as “shaking hands and making peace”.

Rejecting accusations that he had abandoned his first family, Li said he left the marriage with nothing, leaving his assets and properties to Wong. He also said he covered the costs of raising his two elder daughters after the divorce.

Li questioned how he could be accused of abandoning his children given the arrangements he had made for his former wife and daughters.

He also praised Nina Li Chi for helping maintain harmony within their blended family.

According to Li, the couple agreed early in their relationship that he would focus on his acting career while Nina took responsibility for the daily care, upbringing and future planning of all four daughters.

Li said Nina understood the challenges of being a stepmother and treated his two elder daughters equally. He revealed that she had set aside enough money to support them for the rest of their lives, even if they chose not to work. She also arranged for them to have properties in the United States and China.

When the two elder daughters grew up and began earning their own money, Nina reportedly told them that she and Li were financially secure and did not need their support. Instead, she encouraged them to use their earnings to support their mother, Wong.

Li said these arrangements helped foster a close relationship between Nina and her stepdaughters.

He also addressed speculation that he favored his two younger daughters, Jane and Jada, whom he shares with Nina, over his elder daughters from his first marriage.

According to Li, all four daughters remain close and regularly spend time together as a family. They reunite in the United States or Singapore each year, while the four sisters also enjoy playing mahjong together.

Li attributed perceptions of unequal treatment largely to differences in the daughters' personalities. He said his two elder daughters prefer to keep a low profile and avoid cameras and public attention, while his younger daughters are more comfortable sharing their lives publicly.

He suggested that these differences had contributed to misconceptions about his relationship with his children.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓