Where Is She Now? The Girl Group Member Who Tearfully Apologized To Fans In Person
Over the course of their career, many idols find themselves at the center of at least one scandal. Often times, these controversies involve dating.
During the 2021 Christmas season, Xie Leilei, a member of the Chinese girl group GNZ48, suddenly found herself in a scandal after accidentally revealing her alleged boyfriend.
Netizens reportedly spotted the man in the reflection of Leilei’s Christmas tree ornaments. Though Leilei deleted the photo, the damage was done.
On February 6, 2022, Leilei appeared before a crowd of journalists and fans to tearfully apologize and bow. Though she did not directly address the scandal, Leilei apologized for failing to meet the requirements of being an idol. Although many idols are no longer subject to dating bans, dating can still negatively impact their careers by shifting public sentiment.
I have also brought harm to the company, and I am willing to bear any punishment that comes from this. I hope I will get a chance to start over again. I did not do my job well and disappointed everyone while negatively impacting my company. I apologize to everyone once again.
— Leilei
Where is Leilei now? Following the scandal, Leilei was demoted to “trainee” status within her group’s ranking system, which also includes promotions and graduations. Since 2022, she has been on an indefinite hiatus.
During this hiatus, Leilei has reportedly chosen to focus on her studies. It is unclear if she is still studying at Shenzhen University or if she has completed her education over the past two years. Leilei’s last Weibo post was this selfie, posted to her account on October 7, 2022.