Woman shares ‘controversial’ opinion about ‘Barbie’ actor Simu Liu being ‘the face of the Asian diaspora,’ and he responds

One TikTok creator’s video criticizing a Hollywood actor has since been brought to the attention of the actor himself.

On May 9, a TikToker who goes by the handle @parisbynightcore (and who prefers to not disclose her name) posted a video on the digital platform discussing her thoughts about Barbie star Simu Liu. Liu, a Canadian actor, was launched into international stardom by his starring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 2021 film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

“I wanna say something controversial,” she begins. “It pisses me off so bad that Simu Liu is now the face of the Asian diaspora.”

“Notwithstanding his homophobic, incel-adjacent past, like, he literally thinks that his presence in Hollywood is, like, the end-all be-all of Asian representation, of, like, our collective liberation,” she claims.

With regard to Liu’s alleged “homophobic, incel-adjacent past,” it’s possible she is referencing the Reddit controversy he was seemingly embroiled in back in 2021. Rumors began swirling that the Barbie actor, allegedly under his old Reddit handle, /u/nippedinthebud, had previously posted to a racist subreddit. This rumor, however, was challenged by Twitter user Lewis Parker, who says that Liu was merely responding to comments about the Canadian sitcom on which he starred at the time, Kim’s Convenience.

“Like, the man cannot handle a single speck of criticism,” she alleges. “Like, I can’t imagine anything more annoying than going through his Twitter feed, OK, and I resent you for making him famous.”

@parisbynightcore‘s video, which has more than 52,900 likes and 554,400 views in two days of posting, has since reached its targeted audience member: Simu Liu. On May 10, Liu took to his Instagram Story to address the opinions shared and the claims made in @parisbynightcore‘s video. Liu has since deleted this story.

“I was for some reason mentioned in this story so I figured I might as well share it,” Liu writes. “A) definitely not the face of the Asian diaspora we are literally in a golden era of Asian representation and that’s what’s so exciting is that there’s room for so many of us. B) definitely not homophobic or incel (but what the ACTUAL f*** is that accusation).”

In his third and final point, Liu says that while he can “completely respect” that @parisbynightcore isn’t fond of him, he urges her to “see someone for the amount of hatred” she feels toward him.

The same day Liu responded, @parisbynightcore posted another video to her TikTok.

“he still can’t handle criticisms,” she says in the nine-second clip.

“ALREADY?????” @tinybichon said.

“The fact that everyone in the comments said he would slide thru and he DID,” @capybaralover92 wrote.

“the way i literally just saw ur first video hows he so fast,” @riivyee said, to which @parisbynightcore replied, “I WAS SHOOOOK.”

“WHY IS HE SO ONLINE,” @helloitssmeeee123 asked.

On May 10, TikTok creator Marissa (@lecarpsicle) weighed in on the conversation. In addition to calling attention to the fact that members of the Asian American community should uplift one another, especially during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Marissa criticizes Liu for reposting @parisbynightcore, a “small TikTok creator,” without “hiding her watermark.”

Marissa urges Asian Americans to reflect and ask “if our individual and collective fights are on the path towards collective progress across all marginalized groups, and not a fight for either individual privilege or privilege over others.”

“Are you about progress or are you about privilege?” she asks.

“I say this as someone who is obviously of Asian American descent and who is also an actor, perhaps not to the degree of success as this guy. This guy who has found success in a white-dominated system,” Marissa adds. “And while it’s OK to celebrate these individual successes by Asian Americans in these white dominant structures, it’s just as important, if not more so, to celebrate those who are fighting against those structures.”

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