Chinese Host He Jiong Loses Dad To Covid On NYE, He Goes On To Host Countdown Show

Popular Chinese host He Jiong, 48, broke down while hosting Hunan TV’s countdown show.

When fellow host Wang Han was talking about how the pandemic has affected society, He Jiong eyes started turning red.

When it was He Jiong’s turn to speak, he began tearing up as he expressed gratitude to medical staff.

This display of emotion sparked discussion online and soon “He Jiong cried” became a trending topic on Weibo.

As this was not the first time He Jiong cried on stage, some netizens questioned if he was deliberately trying to “gain sympathy” or draw attention to himself.

There were others who mocked him for having "incontinence of tears".

It was only later that it was revealed that He Jiong’s father, 80, had just died of Covid-19 complications that day. 

“He Jiong is a warm person. His dad just passed away today and he still hosted the countdown show at night. If it were me, I wouldn’t be bothered, let alone continue working. Those who said he is suffering from incontinence of tears, be a decent human being. Why must you be so acid-tongued?” wrote a netizen who is said to be a medical staff in Hunan.

According to other netizens, He Jiong’s dad was diagnosed with the virus a while ago. He became seriously ill and was unable to recover, and had passed away on New Year's Eve. His funeral was held the same day.

They added that only his relatives and people in his hometown of Yueyang, Hunan, knew about it. He Jiong also lost his mum a few months ago.

On Jan 1, He Jiong posted a pic of himself showing the OK sign, with the caption: "Happy New Year! 2023, everything will be ok!"

Netizens flooded the comments section with messages of support and also praised him for his dedication and professionalism.

“I can't say anything, I can only say express it with tears," wrote one netizen, while another said: "I have to admire Teacher He's professionalism. If it were an ordinary person, how would he have the mood to host anything?"

Photos: Weibo