Ian Fang Drank Whiskey And Smoked 3 Packets Of Cigarettes Every Day To Cope With Online Hate During His Leaked DMs Scandal In 2019 - 8days Skip to main content

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Ian Fang Drank Whiskey And Smoked 3 Packets Of Cigarettes Every Day To Cope With Online Hate During His Leaked DMs Scandal In 2019

It was literally the worst of times for the 34-year-old ex Mediacorp star, who opened up about that period of his life on a recent podcast.

Ian Fang Drank Whiskey And Smoked 3 Packets Of Cigarettes Every Day To Cope With Online Hate During His Leaked DMs Scandal In 2019

Former Mediacorp actor Ian Fang, 34, has been through a lot in the past five years.

He was one of the company's most promising young actors before a leaked DMs scandal involving Carrie Wong in 2019 dealt a massive blow to his popularity. He eventually left Mediacorp in 2023 to no fanfare.

Ian recently opened up about his fall from grace on Rise ‘n Shine, podcast hosted by Simonboy, Luke Chan, and Noah Yap.

He first spoke of his mentor Christopher Lee, whom he said he no longer addresses as ‘shi fu’, which means teacher in Mandarin.

“Nowadays, when I wish him happy birthday on social media, I don’t call him shi fu anymore. I just call him ‘da ge’ (big brother). [Only] when I can make him proud, then I’ll call him that again,” said Ian. 

He feels he has disappointed Chris and alludes to the leaked DMs scandal as the reason.

“There’s one… stupid incident I would call it. It was a personal issue involving a Mediacorp actress, and the whole of Singapore knew about it. It’s pretty sad. I can tell you guys about it from my point of view,” he said.

“When the conversations and screenshots were leaked, I was like ‘Okay’... and during that time I had a partner. My mum was in Shanghai, and I was alone. I didn’t know how to face it. But every single day I would see people saying stupid stuff on social media. I would see a lot of messages, and I couldn’t really sleep. In the morning, like 4 or 5am, [my phone would sound] and I would get a shock, anxiety attack lah, don’t know whether it’s reporters [or whoever],” he continued.

Ian and his mentor Chris

Ian only knew one way to cope with the stress and negativity.

“Smoking and drinking is not good ah, but during that time I had no choice,” he said. 

“My meals [comprised of] three siu mai and one curry puff from Esso Toa Payoh, the petrol station. I would get one bottle of whiskey and three packets of cigarettes every single day. I also don’t know why I became like that. When I went to pay money, looking at the stands that [display] newspapers, I would see my face on the front page. For seven days. Then the cashier auntie would say “your girlfriend so good, why you do this kind of thing to hurt her?”.”

Ian said he has never spoken about the situation to anyone until now. 

He also tried to work on his relationship with his girlfriend but everything, he said, was “shattered” and “a struggle”. 

“During that time, I also felt that life was very unfair. But life is unfair. People would say that “Wah Ian [become] like that” but [the actress involved in the scandal] was still getting a lot of engagement and shows,” he added. 

He eventually realised the importance of not paying mind to what other people think, because “eventually, nobody will give a s*** about you”. 

“They will just talk and go about their own business. Nobody will put you in their mind 24/7. During that time, I would read every single thing, and people would say the nastiest things I’ve heard,” he said. 

As for what he's been busy with since leaving Mediacorp, Ian said he's now working on other ventures. He is a partner with haircare and lifestyle essentials brand Elpha International, and an ambassador for Amps Tea. He is also creating his own content for social media, and is teaching kids drama at First Model.

He’s had several auditions in the past year but has yet to book a project.

“Acting is still my biggest passion out of everything. I definitely [want to act again]. I can’t wait for that,” he said. 

Watch the full Rise 'n Shine podcast with Ian below.
You can also catch Ian in The Unbreakable Bond on mewatch, or watch an episode below.

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