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The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026

A surrogacy accusation emptied Zhang Yuqi's ad portfolio in 72 hours

An accusation on 24 January — by the 27th, skincare brands had deleted every trace of her, a Spring Festival gala had dropped her, and her ad revenue was gone.

NEXXUS · She Si Ya (奢思雅) · Yu Rong Chu (玉容初) · Gu Yu (谷雨) · 2026-01-27

What happened

On 24 January 2026, Ge Xiaoqian — the ex-wife of Zhang Yuqi's ex-husband — publicly accused the actress of surrogacy, citing a notarised US surrogacy contract and CCTV footage, along with marriage interference and lawyer threats. The actress, known for her 'independent woman' persona since a celebrated divorce, went silent as the accusations spread; boycott calls against her brands soon followed.

Within 72 hours the brands ran. On 25 January Liaoning TV removed her from its Spring Festival gala line-up. By 27 January, reporters confirmed that NEXXUS (haircare), She Si Ya, Yu Rong Chu and Gu Yu (skincare and cosmetics) had deleted all her endorsement posts — searches showed 'operation failed' or 'no permission'. One beauty brand's customer service said the cooperation had 'naturally ended within the agreed contract period'; She Si Ya said the 'endorsement relationship has been terminated'. Dai Lixi, Guerlain and Helena Rubinstein quietly removed their content too.

The commercial toll: her single ad rates were 540,000 yuan (1–20s), 600,000 yuan (21–60s) and 800,000 yuan (60s+); at roughly five ads a month that was over 3 million yuan a month in lost revenue. Early termination and claims on long-term endorsement contracts were estimated in the tens of millions. Her Paris Fashion Week trip was cancelled, her regular slot on Mango TV's drama show was recast, and new show invitations stopped.

Why it happened

  • The ads were the face: once the face was radioactive, every campaign built around it had to be deleted wholesale — there was no version of the campaign without her
  • Contract language did the cutting: brands called the exits 'natural ends of the contract period', which dodged disputes but wrote off the campaign investment entirely
  • No one waited for a verdict: a single accusation was enough for galas, brands and shows to cut first — the cost of hesitating was higher than the cost of being wrong
What it cost8 brands cut ties; ~¥3M/mo lost; ¥10M-level claimscostly

The lesson

An accusation — not a verdict — emptied a celebrity's ad portfolio in three days. Brands were insuring against the risk attached to the face, and the face changed overnight.

Aftermath

All eight named brands removed her content and kept their distance; Liaoning TV's gala went ahead without her and her regular show slot was recast. Her team stayed silent apart from comment control. Six of her nine related companies were deregistered. No brand or show publicly restored her after the dust settled.

Sources

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